Uninvited Part Two
by Net Girl
Summary: Final chapter in the epic Buffy: the Vampire Slayer & Star Wars prequel-verse saga! Another trip back to the SW-verse for Buffy and Xander, in search of a missing Scooby.


- Part Two -  
  
- Naboo, Next Day -  
  
The Khufu's departure from Naboo was a good deal more subdued than its arrival. The Queen and the chief engineer were there to see Buffy, Xander and Imoen off, as was Cyril, who had decided to remain on Naboo.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Buffy asked Cyril for the fifth time in an hour.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Look - that political stuff, it's way over my head. I'd probably get lost, anyway, and I'd rather get lost in a library than on a strange planet," Cyril pointed out. "This place is like a dream come true for me, Buffy. There's so much I can learn. Be careful, will you?" he asked, a slightly worried look on his face. "I don't want to have to come and bail you kids out, got it?"  
  
"Yeah, don't worry. Stay here and research until we get back," Buffy said.  
  
Cyril just nodded and waved as Buffy and Xander boarded the Khufu.  
  
-  
  
"Will you be safe?" Amidala asked Imoen while Seren and Sarn made one last check of the Khufu's fuel pods.  
  
"I will, your Majesty," Imoen replied. "With Buffy and Seren and Sarn and the Khufu, no one in the galaxy could be safer."  
  
"Good." Amidala smiled. "Give Mon Mothma my warmest regards...and I hope it goes well with you. If you need anything at all, contact our Senator Belarius. He will help you."  
  
"Yes, my queen."  
  
"Now go. And have a safe journey!"  
  
Imoen bowed and hurried onto the Khufu, followed by Seren and Sarn. The ramp raised itself with a hiss and moments later, the ship lifted up and shot out of the hangar.  
  
Amidala and Cyril both waved, although it was soon out of sight, then returned to the palace proper.  
  
-  
  
- Senate Platform, Coruscant -  
  
The ramp of the Khufu hissed as it dropped down to the ground of the Senate Platform. Imoen drew in a deep breath then looked over to Buffy, who stood by Xander. "I am so very nervous right now," she said in a low voice. She ran her hands over her dress. "I feel... odd. What if I forget how to treat the Senator?"  
  
Buffy patted Imoen on the shoulder. "I think you're beyond that. You didn't treat her too well when you refused her original invitation."  
  
Imoen licked her lips. "Oh, yes, that's right," she mumbled. She looked up when Seren joined her.   
  
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. I'll be fine, Seren."  
  
"Watch yourself, Im."  
  
"I will." She and Xander exchanged a look. She returned his small smile of encouragement.   
  
"Good luck," Xander said.  
  
"Thank you." Imoen drew in a few breaths, calming herself. She could see bel Iblis's aide, alone, waiting for her on the platform. "I'll be back very soon." Once she composed herself, she walked down the ramp.  
  
"Things are going better between you two, I see," Buffy commented.   
  
"Somewhat."   
  
Buffy grinned. "So.... what are we gonna do?" she excitedly asked. "I've got all this stature and new lady-like clothes... we should give this a spin!" She twirled once, loving how the sheer cape wrapped around her body. She'd picked this dress because it was a replica of what Leia wore at the end of the first _Star Wars_ movie, but red instead white. "See what we can get with all this newfound power."  
  
"We? There is no 'we', Miss America," Xander said, flicking one of the pearls dangling from the simple mesh net crown that held up Buffy's hair. "_This_ we is staying right here on the ship. The last time I was on this planet I was almost assassinated."  
  
Buffy frowned as she put her hands on her hips. "I want to do something, not sit around on this crummy ship for God knows how long waiting for Imoen to come back!"  
  
Xander made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the ramp. "Hey, if you can find yourself a guide, have it at, Buff."  
  
"Why are you being such a wuss, Xander? I'll protect you if any jerk tries to kill you."  
  
Xander stared at her for a moment. What was with all this attitude from Buffy lately? She was bossy, extremely self-absorbed, and had very snarky commentary for everyone. "I'll be outside, getting some fresh air. You do whatever you want, Buffy." He walked down the ramp then took a seat at the bottom of it.  
  
-  
  
- Mon Mothma's Antechambers -  
  
Imoen stared at the statues in Mon Mothma's outer office and tried hard not to fidget. Even meeting the Lord High Admiral of the Coreillian Sector hadn't been as nerve-wracking as this. Of course, Imoen reminded herself, Lord High Admiral Celus isn't going to be one of the saviors of the galaxy in twenty years. Nor had he made her wait ten minutes without even a word.  
  
Which only made her wonder why the Senator wanted to see her. Senator bel Iblis' aide wasn't exactly forthcoming, either out of professional courtesy or because he didn't know. Imoen considered asking the man again, but decided against it. She didn't want to seem too lost. It was bad enough being so nervous and so worried about Buffy and, she had to  
admit, Xander. The last time she and Xander had been on Coruscant, it had been less than pleasant. And Buffy's experience here was even worse.  
  
The door to Mon Mothma's private office opened and Imoen was already on her feet before she realized it was another aide, not the Senator, emerging.  
  
The aide, a tall, dark-haired woman, smiled at Imoen. "Lady Earendil, I'm sorry, but the Senator was called to an important meeting. I'm afraid you will have to wait a while longer."  
  
"Oh. Nothing bad, I hope."  
  
"No, merely a matter of politics," the aide replied. Then she turned to bel Jinn. "You may return to your employer. The Senator will see that Lady Earendil finds her way back to her ship."  
  
Bel Jinn nodded and left without another word.  
  
"Please, make yourself comfortable, Lady Earendil," the aide continued.  
  
Imoen smiled thinly and sat down again. Nothing to do but wait and try not to worry about her friends. What could happen to them on the Khufu? she asked herself.  
  
-  
  
- Senate Platform -  
  
Xander came around from the back of the Khufu when he saw a air taxi pull up to the platform. Who's this? he wondered. He half-smiled when he saw Obi-Wan Kenobi, looking very Jedi-ish as usual, arrive.   
  
"Well, well," Xander muttered as he sat back down on the ramp of the Khufu. "Let the party begin." He nodded a hello when Obi-Wan drew closer. "What's the what, Obi-Wan?" he greeted. "How did you know we were on Coruscant?"  
  
Obi-Wan glanced around, as if looking for someone, then answered. "Word spread fairly quick that the Earth Ambassador reappeared in the galaxy with... Mistress Buffy."  
  
"Oh... yeah, I suppose it would," Xander said with a nod. He glanced behind him. Buffy, the headphones of his CD player on her head, danced with her eyes closed at the top of the ramp. "So, what brings you out here?"  
  
The Jedi coughed slightly. "The Council was... concerned that whoever attempted to assassinate you would try again," he replied. "I was sent to... protect you."  
  
Xander, though, chuckled. "You need to learn to lie better, Obi-Wan." He shook his head when he saw the expression on the man's face after that comment.  
  
Buffy made her way down the ramp, dancing in a sultry manner while doing so, then came to a stop by Xander. Her eyes opened and she yanked the headphones off when she noticed Obi-Wan staring at her. What was he doing there?  
  
"Hey, Buff," Xander said. He motioned to Obi-Wan. "Look who's here to protect us."  
  
Obi-Wan didn't hear a word Xander said. He couldn't take his eyes off Buffy. Never in all the time he'd know this strange, young Earth woman had she ever looked like _that_. She could be mistaken for a member of a royal court on Alderaan, or even Naboo. He blinked, coming back to reality when Buffy spoke.  
  
"Protect us?" Buffy asked as she raised an eyebrow.   
  
Obi-Wan, fumbled a little on his response. "The... The... _Council_... sent me. Yes."   
  
Buffy smiled as she removed Xander's headphones from around her neck. "You need to learn to lie better," she replied as she handed the CD player back to Xander.  
  
"That's what I told him!" Xander got to his feet as he accepted his player from Buffy. He looked from Obi-Wan to Buffy, then smiled a little. "Well... if anyone cares, I'm gonna go inside." He jerked a thumb up the ramp. "One of the crew guys is gonna teach me a few Coreillian card games."   
  
Buffy half-turned, watching Xander walk up the ramp. She could wring his neck for that. She sighed as she looked back at Obi-Wan. And... there they were...   
  
"Buffy..."  
  
She drew herself up, proudly. "It's _Lady_ Buffy now," she informed him.  
  
"Lady?" Obi-Wan asked as if it were the first time he'd heard the word. "Whoever would bestow the title of _Lady_ upon _you_?"  
  
"The Naboo." She smirked.  
  
"I've lost all respect for them as a people."   
  
"Don't rag on the Naboo," she snapped in reply, pointing a finger at him. "And you'd better treat _me_ with the proper respect, if you know what's good for you." She folded her arms across her chest. "We're equals now, Jedi Knight Kenobi."  
  
Obi-Wan couldn't help but snort at the notion. "I _hardly_ think we're equals."  
  
"You're right. I'm _far_ superior to you."  
  
He blinked. He didn't know why he was surprised by such a bold statement from her. "You've much to learn of modesty."  
  
"Modesty is overrated," she said, waving a hand as if to dismiss such an idea. "If you've got it, flaunt it." She grinned but then looked around the platform. "Hey... Where's your little kid?" she asked.  
  
"Anakin is spending his afternoon practicing his Jedi calming techniques. Concentration, focus, centering..."  
  
Buffy exaggerated a yawn, cutting Obi-Wan off. "In short, the poor kid is bored to death." She smiled a little when she saw that look on his face, the one he'd get when she irritated him. "Well, you came down here, so I'm assuming you wouldn't get into trouble for showing me around. I didn't get to see _anything_ besides that stuffy Council room the last time I was here."  
  
He took a moment to consider her request. "I suppose it would be all right. Anakin is well occupied with his lessons."  
  
"That's what I like," she replied, pleased. She held up a finger. "I'll be right back." Gathering up her dress, Buffy made her way back up the ramp. Xander stood at the top, grinning at her. "What?"  
  
"Plans?"  
  
"Yes, I'm going to do something instead of sit around on this crummy ship. What is with you and the Cheshire cat look?"  
  
He shrugged a bit. "It's nothing."  
  
"Are you staying here?"  
  
"Probably. Guys mentioned there is a spaceport not far from here. I might give it a look later. I haven't decided." He shooed her along. "You go ahead, I'll be okay. Enjoy yourself." He winked at her.  
  
"You're disgusting, Xander. Has anyone ever told you that?"  
  
"You are not the first and I assure you that you won't be the last." He laughed a little. "Just go, Buffy."  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
Xander watched Buffy stroll back down the ramp. He still couldn't help but feel something was off with his friend. She'd went through a similar phase a few years before, the summer after her run-in with The Master, when she died. Whatever her problem was, he hoped it solved itself soon. Mean Girl Buffy didn't sit well with him.  
  
-  
  
- Mon Mothma's Office -   
  
The outer door opened and Imoen blinked herself out of a daydream. Two guards in white uniforms entered, followed by the Senator herself. Imoen quickly rose to her feet.  
  
"Senator!" she exclaimed, holding her hands at her side so the guards wouldn't get nervous.  
  
Mon Mothma stared at Imoen for a moment, then her eyes widened in recognition. "Imoen!" she said with a startled smile. "I barely recognize you."  
  
Imoen only shrugged. It was true, after all. She was barely the same person she'd been two years ago. Before she could find a way to reply, Mon Mothma took her by the hand. "Please, join me in my office. We have much to talk about, I think."  
  
"Yes, of course," Imoen replied, following Mon Mothma into the main office. It was far less lavish than the outer chambers and had only a desk and a bookshelf with actual paper books, each of which were probably worth more than the Khufu itself.  
  
Mon Mothma sat down behind her desk and nodded at one of the chairs. "Please, sit and be comfortable."  
  
"Yes, Senator."  
  
"Now..." Mon Mothma folded her hands and gazed at Imoen for a long moment before speaking. "I had hoped to meet you before now. In fact, I had hoped you would have taken my job offer up when you left Naboo."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Mon Mothma laughed gently. "Don't apologize. Every person must make their own choices. But now that you have chosen to come here."  
  
"How can I be of service, Senator?" Imoen asked.  
  
"Your fame has reached even Coruscant. People have told me of the stories you tell," Mon Mothma replied.  
  
"Oh. But - oh."  
  
"Relax, Imoen. I haven't asked you all the way here to laugh at you. In fact..." Mon Mothma leaned forward slightly. "I want you to tell me your story. All of it."  
  
"I..." Imoen took a deep breath. This would be a long story.  
  
In actuality, it wasn't all that long a story. Not after Imoen cut out all of the useless details - which, from her perspective, was most of the storyline. When she was done, Imoen leaned back and waited for Mon Mothma's reaction.  
  
"You realize that most people would consider that story and its teller insane," the Senator said after a long silence. Her face was utterly expressionless, but there was a strange light in her eyes.  
  
"I do," Imoen replied. "But you must believe me, it's true."  
  
Mon Mothma sighed. "I believe...I believe that you believe your story. But without proof, how can I believe the story itself? And who can prove a prophecy before it comes to pass?" She smiled at Imoen. "This is no easy dilemma to solve."  
  
Imoen only shrugged helplessly. "I know, Senator."  
  
"I wish..." Mon Mothma stood up and walked over to the window behind her   
desk. After a moment, she laughed and looked back at Imoen. "It's sad. I've been thinking what I would do if I knew without any doubt that your story was true and I find myself realizing I would change nothing. All the things I would do to stop Palpatine from seizing power...I already am. And they are all I can do. If I act more forcefully, and he is the man you say he is, he'll have me killed."  
  
"But he didn't."  
  
Mon Mothma grinned. "No. Which means I didn't provoke him. Will not provoke him, cannot... More dilemmas. I will have to think about this, Imoen. Will you stay on Coruscant for now?"  
  
"Of course, Senator," Imoen replied. "I am at your service."  
  
The Senator smiled thinly. "That may well prove true," she murmured as Imoen left the office.   
  
-  
  
- Jedi Temple -  
  
Buffy locked her hands together behind her back as she walked down one of the large corridors of the Jedi Temple. The building was rather drab and plain. Nothing on the walls and it was so quiet, she could hear her dress brushing against the highly polished floor.  
  
You'd think with all the time and money Lucas spent on CGI this place would be a lot cooler, Buffy thought. It's dead here.  
  
And the people were equally dead. Those she did see only acknowledged the two of them with a gesture, nothing more. Didn't they know how to speak English?  
  
She'd forgotten why she'd wanted to come here. Oh, to break the monotony of the visit. The rest of Coruscant was like Los Angeles - only boring and uninteresting. Los Angeles had a lot more going for it than this hole. She'd figured the Jedi Temple, the place where Jedi became Jedi, would be something to see.   
  
Buffy looked at the city through the large windows when she and Obi-Wan came to the end of this particular corridor.  
  
"That is the Jedi Temple," Obi-Wan said, breaking the quiet of the corridor. He made a motion with his hand. "Of course, you would not want to see the rest. The Council Room."  
  
Buffy made a face as she glanced over at him. "It's not quite what I expected," she said with a shrug. "It's really... um... Spartan."  
  
"Spartan? I'm not familiar with that term."  
  
"Oh, yeah, you wouldn't be. It just means it's.... well, _this_." She spread out her arms and looked up at the building. "Bare. And not that... ahem, neat?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. "I see. Your friend, Xander, was not impressed when he visited either."  
  
"Xander expects too much sometimes." She turned back to the window. The sky grew darker. Night would be upon the planet soon. She wondered if Imoen had finished her business with Mon Mothma.   
  
"And you do not?"  
  
"Generally, I find low expectations make things that much better when they turn out to not suck." She glanced at him. The Jedi Temple was one of those instances when she didn't stick to her "low expectations" rule.  
  
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Obi-Wan said, "He showed quite the fascination with his midichlorian count while here."   
  
"Yes, he mentioned that."   
  
"You have not."  
  
"Haven't what?" She looked over to him, curious. "Oh...asked for a midichlorian count? Not really caring. What would it matter, anyway?"  
  
"To satisfy a... curiosity?" he replied, attempting to sound nonchalant.   
  
"To satisfy _your_ curiosity," Buffy said, smiling at him. She folded her arms across her chest as he shrugged. "Oh, what the hell? If you're so eager to know, I'm game. Let's do it."  
  
-  
  
- Spaceport -  
  
Xander walked through the spaceport, glancing in the windows of the small shops lining either side of the busy area of commerce. He wondered if he should buy Imoen a gift. He decided against it. With the delicate peace between them, he didn't want to chance pissing her off. She might take a gift as a bribe.  
  
He stopped in front of a shop that displayed music boxes in it's window. On Alderaan, he'd bought something like that for Imoen. Did she still have it? She probably tossed it out, he figured.  
  
His attention drifted away from the window when he had the eerie feeling he was being watched. He half-turned, but did not notice anyone out of the ordinary behind him. Shoppers of all different lifeforms and a few Rodians in jumpsuits, members of a construction crew working on renovations on the other end of the spaceport. Shrugging it off, he continued along his way.  
  
As he neared the far end of the spaceport, he realized he'd been aimlessly wandering. Nobody was around because these shops were empty. Tools, tables and other devices used for building in this universe lay about, waiting to be put to work once more.   
  
He slowed to a halt, his grip on his bookbag strap tightening. That eerie feeling that he was not along in this portion of the spaceport returned. The sounds of the crowd were so distant now. Yet no one in sight.  
  
Suddenly, a voice barked out something in an alien language. That was followed by Xander being shoved to the floor.   
  
"Oof!" Xander's bag fell off his shoulder as he landed face first on the ground. The voices relayed a few more commands. "Hey, do you mind?" he snapped as he raised up his head. His mouth clamped shut, his eyes wide when he saw one of the Rodian construction workers pointing a blaster in his face.  
  
The Rodian grumbled a few words in his language at Xander then laughed. The others joined in when Xander looked behind him. They were all armed and seemed to want something from him.   
  
"Come with us," the leader ordered, finally speaking to Xander in a language he could understand.  
  
Buffy, where are you? Xander thought, worried. God, where are you? You should be here!  
  
Two of the other Rodians each grabbed an arm. Xander drew in a deep breath as they brought him up to his feet. It was up to him to save himself.   
  
Once he was in an upright position, Xander used the two Rodians holding him as leverage for the rest of his body. He brought up both of his feet and slammed them into the chest of the lead Rodian.  
  
"Yaaah!" the Rodian squealed out as he flew backwards a few feet. A bolt fired from the Rodian's gun, hitting the ceiling before the creature dropped it upon impact with the ground.  
  
"Wow," Xander said, impressed with his own move. Then he remembered three more of them were still standing. He elbowed one of the kidnappers in the chest and shoved him into the third Rodian. The two of them toppled to the ground.  
  
So this is what it feels like to be Buffy, he thought, grinning a little.  
  
The leader finally got back to his feet and yelled something at the other Rodian holding Xander. He made a motion with his hand.  
  
Xander faced the other Rodian holding him. Before he could do anything, he felt a sharp sting. It zoomed throughout his body, paralyzing him. The Rodian had zapped him with a stun gun, or something. He dropped down to his knees when he felt another sting from the weapon.  
  
"Human," the leader snarled as it walked up to Xander. He shoved Xander down to the floor with his foot then looked to his men. "Grab him and let us go," he ordered in Rodian. "Before someone comes this way! Hurry!"  
  
The three others nodded, still embarrassed they'd allowed a human, a weakling like an upper-class aristocrat, get the drop on them. One took Xander's legs while another picked him up underneath the arms.   
  
Buffy, Xander thought. His eyes drifted open and shut. The strength to keep conscious slipped away. Please, Buffy... anyone. Help... me....  
  
Voices nearing the area made the Rodians abandon the attempt to clean up their mess. If they were caught kidnapping an ambassador, it would mean instant death. Just not from the Republic. The four kidnappers took their victim and fled the scene of the crime.  
  
-  
  
- Jedi Temple -  
  
Buffy toyed with one of the silver bracelets around her right wrist as she waited for Obi-Wan to finish analyzing the sample of blood he'd taken from her. She shifted on the couch, sighing in boredom. This is worse than a trip to the doctor's office, she thought as she examined her fingernails.  
  
"Is that stupid test finished yet?" she asked. Her hands dropped into her lap as she looked over to him. He'd been rather quiet the last few minutes.  
  
"Yes, it is," he replied. His voice was a bit distant.   
  
Buffy joined him by his little computer and looked over his shoulder at the screen. He didn't even glance at her. "So... what is it?" she impatiently inquired.  
  
"Nearly 19,000."   
  
She frowned. "Is that a lot?"   
  
He nodded then finally looked up at her. "Yes."   
  
"More than you?" she asked with a devious grin.  
  
He only nodded.   
  
"Bet you wished you'd left well enough alone," she said as she stood straight. She put her hands on her hips. "You probably have Midichlorian Envy now."   
  
"It's a high concentration, Buffy," he replied, turning in his chair as she walked away. He paused, looking away when she met his gaze. "Your offspring would be... _very_ strong in the Force as well."   
  
Her arms dropped to her sides and she was momentarily wordless. "Well... yeah. I suppose so." She shrugged. Like that really meant anything to her. "That's something I'll have to think about while I'm on Earth, fighting vampires and demons. 'Gee... my kids, if I live long enough to have any, will be strong with the Force'."  
  
"You know," Obi-Wan said, his voice very quiet and reserved. He got to his feet and crossed the room. "You don't have to go back there. You could stay."   
  
"Huh? What are you talking about, stay _here_?" she replied, her brow furrowing. "This place doesn't even ex-... " She took a small step back from him. "I just can't."   
  
"You'd have a much more quality life on Coruscant." Hesitating for a brief moment, he allowed a hand to lightly touch Buffy's cheek.   
  
She laughed nervously as his fingers caressed her face. "Oh yeah. With _you_, I assume?" She laughed again as she took a step back from him. "That's rich. Me staying here with you."   
  
He matched the step she took back. "Give me one reason why you should _not_ stay?"   
  
"Um..." She avoided eye contact with him as she retreated, and he advanced. Finally, her back hit the wall and she spat out, "Intergalactic civil war?"  
  
Puzzlement washed over his face. "Civil war?" His puzzlement melted into an amused smile. "We haven't had a war in over five thousand years."  
  
"Hold onto your lightsabre, you folks are in for a bumpy ride."  
  
He realized what Buffy meant. "The prophecies this Imoen Earendil continuously spouts," he said. "Have you allowed her to twist your mind as well, Buffy? I don't trust her. Why is she always harping about doom and destruction?"  
  
"Because she's right about the future?" she offered.  
  
He scoffed. "That's absurd."  
  
"From a certain point of view."  
  
"From _all_ points of view, Buffy!"  
  
She considered his statement then replied, "No, pretty much just from yours."  
  
"Do you _really_ believe her tales of woe and genocide?"  
  
"Well... _yeah_."   
  
"Why?"  
  
She bit her lip, wondering what she could do to get out of this mess. And from the literal corner she was backed up in. "I can't tell you why. I just know," she answered. "And if you people had any sense, you'd realize what she's saying is true. Can't you look beyond the candy-coated world you're living in for a moment? You'd see a lot more."  
  
"You're being as paranoid as she is," Obi-Wan said with a dismissive gesture. "The Republic is like a mountain, it can't crumble overnight from a few _alleged_ flaws."  
  
Buffy's eyes narrowed slightly, angered by how he treated her concerns. "When did she ever say the Republic was going to crumble overnight?" she snapped back. She stood straight, pushing him a little. "Take the blinders off, Kenobi. There is some seriously evil stuff going down in this galaxy."  
  
"What 'evil stuff'? The Trade Federation is gone. Our borders are more secure than ever."  
  
She clicked her tongue, and shook her head in a pitying manner. "Deny, deny, deny. I wish I lived in your ivory tower. Really I do."  
  
"Yes, dismiss my skepticism with trite phrases. Typical."  
  
"How about a nice, trite punch in your face?" Her right hand balled up into a fist.  
  
"Also typ - " He stopped himself from insulting her yet again. "This is silly, Buffy."  
  
"Pointless is more like it. None of you people will -" Buffy cried out in terrible pain for apparently no reason. Her legs buckled under her hands flew to the sides of her head. "Xander..." she moaned.   
  
"Buffy!" Obi-Wan kneeled beside her, taking hold of her left arm as the girl lowered her hands from her head. "Are you all right? What happened?"   
Buffy shook off the sick feeling that had hit her like a Mack truck. "Xander's in trouble. I don't know how I know it... but he is."  
  
"What kind of trouble?"  
  
"I don't know!" She tried to get to her feet, but she hadn't the strength. She relied on Obi-Wan to get her into a standing position. "I... I have to go and check on him."  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
Buffy shoved his hands off of her. "No, I don't need your help," she snarled at him. She narrowed her gaze at him. "I'll be fine on my own." Before Obi-Wan could object to her decision Buffy rushed out of the room and headed up the main corridor of the Jedi Temple.  
  
-  
  
- Senate Platform -  
  
Buffy stepped off out of the hovercab with a snarl on her face. The little jaunt to the Jedi Temple had been one big fat waste of time as far as she was concerned. Obi-Wan was as much a jerk as ever, even if it was fun seeing the look on his face when her midichlorian count came up. But not fun enough. And he hadn't even listened to her warning - did Obi-Wan think she was an idiot?  
  
She sighed and glared at the Khufu. At least it hadn't flown off, leaving her stranded on this smelly, noisy planet full of Jedi. They'd never get back to Naboo on their own.  
  
"Lady, hey," one of the Khufu's crewers, a squat thing with four arms, called out as Buffy approached the ship.   
  
"Hey," Buffy replied, shoving down the Slayer instinct that was telling her to attack the obviously non-human figure. Instead she managed a weak smile. "Is Xander back from his little sightseeing trip yet?"  
  
"Lady, I don't think so, not yet," the crewperson said with a nod. "Maybe Im knows," it suggested. "Or Sarn or Seren."  
  
"Right. Thanks." Buffy stared to head towards the entry ramp, then stopped. "Imoen's back?"  
  
"Lady, yes, for ten minutes."  
  
"Oh. That was fast."  
  
The crewperson only shrugged and went back to tinkering with some device attached to the hull of the Khufu.  
  
"Yeah, I don't want to keep you from fixing...the thing..." Buffy bit her lip and walked up the ramp and into the Khufu.  
  
Imoen was waiting just inside the ship, a pensive look on her face as she checked a display on one of the computer consoles.  
  
"Hey, Imoen. Back from your meeting already?" Buffy asked.   
  
"Buffy! Thank the gods you're back," she said, hurrying to Buffy's side. "Xander hasn't returned yet."  
  
"Yeah, the, uh, thing outside told me," Buffy replied. "I'm sure he just lost track of time," she assured Imoen.  
  
"Yes, because Xander never stumbles into trouble," Imoen said patiently.  
  
"Wow, someone's been feeding you sarcasm pills. We better go look for him."  
  
The two of them left the ship. Imoen waved the four-armed alien over and began speaking in a language that, to Buffy, sounded like someone about to vomit. The alien responded with the same gurgles and pointed towards the large, domed structure near the landing pad.  
  
"Gecla says that Xander went to the spaceport nearly two hours ago," Imoen explained as she rejoined Buffy. "Even Xander would have gotten bored with it by now and come back. I think something has happened," she said, now visibly worried.  
  
"Relax. He probably just got stuck in a closet or something," Buffy assured Imoen. "What could possibly happen here?"  
  
Imoen only shrugged and looked towards the massive set of towers that made up the Supreme Chancellor's Palace.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
-  
  
- Somewhere In The Universe -  
  
Xander groaned loudly as his eyes opened. The world swam into focus, but he was a long way from the spaceport, that much was certain. He blinked a few times. "Where am I?" he mumbled.  
  
He was held prisoner in a store room of some sort. Weaponry that looked like it hadn't been used in ages hung from the walls. Crates sat stacked up against the walls, probably full of more weapons. At a table nearby, four of the Rodians who'd kidnapped him, laughed and talked as they played a card game.  
  
He struggled to move, but to no avail. His wrists and ankles were locked down to a chair by a kind of electronic shakle. Nothing he ever saw on reruns of _MacGyver_ would get him out of this one. Instead, he decided to try to get some information.  
  
"Um... excuse me?" He tried to smile as the Rodians looked at him. "Hey. How's it going? Who are you and why did you kidnap me?"  
  
One of the Rodians said something in their language and the others laughed hysterically.  
  
"Ha ha ha... that's a good one," Xander replied. He sighed as he sank down in the chair. "Of all the Rodians in the Star Wars verse.. why could I get some dumb ones like Greedo?"  
  
-  
  
- Spaceport -  
  
Buffy looked around the crowded main corridor of the port and tried not to grimace. This place was ten times bigger than the spaceport on Alderaan, and a lot dirtier, noisier, and generally more unpleasant.  
  
"Where do we start?" she asked Imoen.  
  
Imoen looked around for a moment, glad Coruscant's spaceports were, by galactic standards, safe and clean. Two young offworld women would have been easy marks for all sorts of slime on practically any other planet in the Republic. "That droid," she finally said, nodding at a M-855 Cleaning Unit that was spraying a nearby section of the floor with an antiseptic spray. "It may have seen Xander if he came in this way," she explained.  
  
"Okay." Buffy followed Imoen over to the tall, twelve-armed droid. "Excuse me. We're looking for a - " She stopped when the droid's head suddenly swiveled to face the two of them. "A friend of ours. Xander Harris."  
  
The droid gazed quietly at them, still wiping away at the floor.   
  
"A human male, roughly my age and height with black hair and wearing Naboo style clothing," Imoen added. "Have you seen him?"  
  
In reply, the M-855 pointed one of its free arms toward the nearest terminal branching off the main hallway and made a clicking sound.  
  
"Terminal Besh," Imoen translated. "He was there an hour ago."  
  
"He said all that?"  
  
Imoen nodded, already heading towards the terminal. Buffy followed her, wishing she had a lightsaber or blaster, just in case. Not that there was anybody obviously evil to use one on around here.  
  
Or anybody at all, in fact. The terminal was practically deserted except for a dozen or so construction droids and their human supervisor. The shops and cafes lining the hallway were all closed, and the various gates had all been sealed off with forcefields.  
  
"Why would Xander have come here?" Imoen asked, looking around the empty  
section of the terminal they had stopped in.  
  
"He probably wandered in from the main hallway," Buffy replied. "But where did he go?"  
  
Imoen could only shrug, a handful of unpleasant answers appearing in her mind. "I don't know," she said after a few seconds. Then she stiffened and pointed at a dark lump across the hallway. "Look," she said, somewhat unnecessarily.  
  
Buffy and Imoen hurried over to the small object and stared down at it. Both of them felt knots forming in their stomachs - Xander's backpack, looking like someone had gone at it with a hammer. Lying a few feet away was a small, lumpy blaster pistol.  
  
"Oh, no," Buffy said, only partially relieved that there was no blood anywhere. Someone had taken Xander, obviously, and she could only think of a few people in this galaxy who would want to do that.  
  
Imoen knelt down and picked up the blaster pistol. She stared at it for a moment, then placed it into her hand. "See?" she asked Buffy.  
  
"Uh? It's ugly," Buffy replied. "I'm not big on space guns."  
  
"Hold it," Imoen said, handing the blaster to Buffy.  
  
"Okay..." Buffy took the small gun and wrapped her fingers around the grip. Or tried to - it was too wide for her to do much more than keep the thing from falling out of her hand. "It's not my size."  
  
Imoen nodded. "Exactly. No human could possibly use this weapon. Only a species with very long fingers."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Rodians, Buffy." From her tone, it was clear Imoen thought her statement was self-explanatory.   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Greedo's people."  
  
"Oh!" Buffy exclaimed. This she knew. "Why would Greedo kidnap Xander?"  
  
"Rodians are notorious mercenaries," Imoen explained. "They serve any master with enough credits. Tev has encountered them from time to time."  
  
"Encountered?"  
  
Imoen only nodded. "If Rodians have taken Xander, someone very rich and powerful ordered it done."  
  
"Someone like Palpatine?" Buffy asked.  
  
Imoen nodded again. "Maybe...whoever it was, we have to stop them and find Xander. We can't do it alone...we'll need help."  
  
Buffy frowned and looked over at Imoen. "Help like who? The police?"  
  
"Buffy, you know who I mean."  
  
"Imoen, we can't go to them. They're - No. No way, no how. I refuse to. So there."   
  
"They are our only hope of finding Xander soon," Imoen replied calmly. "We don't have a choice. You'll have to put your prejudices aside for today. The Jedi are the only ones who can help."  
  
"I'm not prejudiced. I'm prejudice-free," Buffy protested, but Imoen cut her off with a nasty look. "Isn't there anybody - "  
  
"No. We can contact your friend Obi-Wan from the Khufu. He is the only one who can help us now, Buffy."  
  
"If we can do it from the Khufu, why don't _you_ ask him for help?" Buffy grinned at her idea. "Then I won't have to see that stupid old Council!"  
  
"But they won't listen to me... and we'll never find Xander." She reconsidered her idea. "And perhaps this is something done better in person, anyway," she thoughtfully added.  
  
Buffy's grin vanished as she grumbled. "Why would they listen to me? They hate me, and I hate them."  
  
"They know you. They know you wouldn't come to them unless it was important!" Imoen put her hands on her hips, tired of Buffy's complaining and childish behavior. "Come on! Xander's life hangs in the balance, Buffy. Stop acting this way."  
  
"Oh all right!" Buffy snapped back at Imoen. She gathered up her dress in her hands and started walking. "When I find Xander, I'm gonna... OH!"  
  
Imoen smiled triumphantly then caught up with Buffy. "When you speak to Obi-Wan, try not to offend him, Buffy," she gently said. "I know how much he enrages you, but please, remember Xander."  
  
"I'm plenty enraged at him now," Buffy growled. "And I don't want to ask him for help. But we're stuck between a rock and a hard place." She paused then looked at Imoen. "Wait... what do you mean when _I_ talk to him? You're not going to come?"  
  
"I'll wait here at the ship," Imoen answered. "Perhaps there is a chance we are mistaken... and Xander will return."  
  
"He better return in a body bag, if he knows what's good for him," Buffy hissed. Outside of the spaceport, she caught an air taxi back to the Jedi Temple.  
  
-  
  
- Jedi Temple -  
  
After asking about ten different people at the Temple, Buffy learned of Obi-Wan's current location with in the building's walls and sought him out. She repeated over and over to herself that she would do her best to not offend him. But that would be difficult after the fight they'd had earlier. She still had the overwhelming urge to beat the hell out of him for that.  
  
Up the corridor from Buffy, Obi-Wan was engaged in a conversation with a younger member of the Jedi. He saw her approaching and dismissed the young student before she arrived.  
  
Before he had the chance to speak, Buffy began to talk. "I... uh... Well, you see, it's like this...." She drew in a deep breath, then rushed her request out. "Xander went and got himself kidnapped. Imoen and I can't find him on our own. She thought that maybe we could get the Council to help us. But I don't think they'd like us just barging in... so.. here I am."  
  
She clasped her hands together in front of her and waited for his response.  
  
Obi-Wan suppressed a smile. He cleared his throat then spoke. "Let me see if I understand this - Xander's been kidnapped and you can't find him, and you need my help?"  
  
Buffy bit her lip as she uncomfortably squirmed in place. "Weeeeell... not in so many precise words but... yeah?"  
  
He couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure that the Council will certainly agree to help you when you explain it to them."  
  
Buffy's eyes went wide. "Me?" she exclaimed, pointing to herself. She firmly shook her head. "I don't want to talk to them again! You remember what happened last time. They patronized me, I insulted them, you got your yap punched. It's a bad, bad idea."  
  
He sighed. "Then what do you want me to do? I can't run off and help you. I have responsibilities. Duties. A Padawan of my own."  
  
"Backburner it," Buffy angrily replied, poking a finger in his left shoulder. Her expression softened, realizing this wouldn't be the way to get what she wanted. "I don't want to talk to them, and you _know_ how much it's paining me to ask you for help."   
  
"I cannot do that. I can speak to them on your behalf, but in a matter such as this, I cannot operate without informing the Council. They are the best way to find your friend."  
  
"Not even if I say please?" she cooed coming closer to him. She smiled, using her best seductive one. "Pretty please, even?" Her arms slipped around his neck, and she pulled him closer to her. "Come on," she whispered, gazing into his eyes. "Do the lady a favor... be a good little Jedi. Hmm?"  
  
"I... uh...." Obi-Wan couldn't even remember how to speak Basic. After stumbling over his own words a few more times, he finally got out, "I can't."  
  
Damn you, she thought. Her eyes flashed with anger for a split second. Time to pull out all the stops.  
  
"You give me what I want... I'll give you what you want." She planted a lingering kiss on him. Smiling, she pulled away, then asked, "Can you now?"  
  
As much as he'd wanted to say yes, he just couldn't. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I cannot. You must request your help from the Council."  
  
Buffy scowled as she let go of Obi-Wan. Like a little child having a tantrum she stomped her foot and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, all right," she snapped, turning her back on him. "We'll go see the stinking Council."  
  
-  
  
- Palpatine's Chambers -  
  
Palpatine chuckled once he received the news from his hired Rodian thugs that Ambassador Harris was their prisoner. If things went according to plan, as they had been recently, the girl called 'Slayer' would be under his control.   
  
"Grand Master, I do not wish to sound impatient, but when may I return to my world?" Setamek inquired. He bowed his head when Palpatine turned to him.   
  
"My plans are unfolding," the Chancellor replied, looking down his nose at the demon. He pointed a finger at Setamek. "And you... are important to them."  
  
The demon raised up his head, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly on Palpatine. "I grow weary of your plots, wizard. The Slayer will only destroy me if given the chance. I'd rather not die. I want to return home."  
  
Palpatine's eyes flashed very briefly. His anger rose and fell in not even a heartbeat. The gall of the lesser being did intrigue him. "You are _my_ servant until I no longer require your services," he evenly, but coolly, informed Setamek. His eyebrows arched. "Or do you forget what happened to your kind when humans became angry with you?"  
  
Setamek's gaze locked with the Chancellor's. He would've hurled the man through the nearby window if he'd not needed Palpatine's aid. Soon, he thought. Soon, we will find out just how powerful you are, wizard.  
  
"I understand," he finally replied. "I am yours to command."  
  
"Yes. That you are." Palpatine walked across his grand office, stopping by the window to admire the view of Coruscant below. One day, he thought. I will command this world, as well as the entire galaxy and beyond. "It would please me for you to question the good Ambassador, Setamek. Ask him details of his home world. Earth remains such a mystery to me. A planet that boasts little space travel still manages to send representatives to our part of the universe."  
  
"They are a primal people. Or they were when I last knew them."  
  
The dark Sith lord smiled a little. "A primal people? They should be rather easy to bring under control, then." His smile vanished as he looked over his shoulder to Setamek. "Now, go. Get the young man to tell you everything. Do what you must."  
  
"And if he will not talk?"  
  
"Kill him."  
  
Setamek's head tilted. "That would not be a wise course of action, Grand Master. The Slayer child has a close friendship with the boy -"  
  
"Exactly. Her rage will drive her closer to me... and my plans for her." Palpatine dismissed Setamek with a gesture. "Go."  
  
-  
  
- Outer Chamber of the Jedi Council Room -  
  
"Oh, come on already," Buffy impatiently muttered as she crossed the floor of the outer chamber of the Jedi Council Room. She sighed heavily, turning a little to look at the sun sinking fast in the Coruscant sky. "Time's a-wastin', boys."   
  
Buffy figured she wasn't high on the Council's list of "People To See". Obi-Wan was probably doing everything in his limited power to convince them to see her. She'd insulted them and was generally unpleasant the last time she'd met them, especially to Mace Windu. But he'd started it anyway.  
  
Finally, the door to the Council Room whooshed open and Obi-Wan, rather flustered, exited. He met Buffy half-way as she rushed up to him. The door whooshed shut behind him, concealing the members of the Council before Buffy could see them.  
  
"Well? What did they say?" she asked when he didn't immediately comment. She glanced at the door. "Are they going to help?"  
  
"It is your turn to state your case, Buffy." He shrugged when the girl frowned. "I'm sorry. They would rather hear this from you."  
  
"They want me to grovel, you mean." She folded her arms across her chest and stuck her nose up. "And I won't do it. I'm the Slayer and I don't grovel for a bunch of... of.... " She dropped her arms to her sides, frustrated she couldn't think of anything really awful to compare the Council to. "I don't grovel."  
  
"Might I remind you, Buffy, you have no other options?"  
  
She glared at him. "Oh, who asked you?" she snarled. Whirling around, she headed for the Council Room. The doors hissed open and she entered.  
  
Obi-Wan locked his hands together in front of him, shaking his head a bit as the doors slid shut behind the girl. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he murmured.  
  
-  
  
Mace Windu sat up straight, ceasing his quiet discussion with Yoda as Buffy entered the room. He brought his hands together in front of him, fingertips touching, as his gaze settled on the girl. He immediately sensed Buffy's hatred for him and his colleagues simmering just below the surface. The others had to pick up on it as well. She did nothing to mask it.  
  
"Lady Buffy Summers," Windu gently addressed Buffy as she stopped just inside of the doorway. He made a small gesture with his hands. "Please, come forward, so all of the Council may see you."  
  
Buffy's hands flexed at her sides, as she tried to keep herself calm. "Certainly," she tightly replied. She took a place in the middle of the room. Her eyes scanned the other Council members, who no doubt remembered her last appearance very well. When Windu remained silent, she shrugged. "So...? Am I properly attired this time? My wearing a dress does not offend the delicate fashion sense of the Jedi Council?"  
  
"You've little patience, Lady Summers," Windu commented. "I see nothing has changed since our last meeting." He nodded to her. "Except the outward appearance. What is inside is still very... temperamental."  
  
How rude, she thought.  
  
"Well, yeah. I should expect a comment like that from the Borg." She saw the blank look on Windu's face. "Oh... sorry," she sarcastically apologized. "Wrong fictional universe."  
  
Yoda rested his chin on the tops of the fingers of his right hand as he studied Buffy. "Hold us in contempt, you do. Yet... wish our help." His eyes remained steady on her. "Why?"  
  
"Because Obi-Wan wouldn't help me," she replied. "I swear, you suggest _anything_ that goes against what the Council would approve of and suddenly you're talking to a brick wall." She smirked a little. "Kinda like how it is with you guys."  
  
"If that is so," asked the soft female voice of Adi Gallia. She paused when Buffy looked to her. "Why come to us? Surely, you would not waste valuable time in such a situation if you were certain of how we would react to your request."  
  
Buffy's expression softened. "Look, I don't have anybody else to turn to." She switched her attention back to Windu. "I know we didn't get along the last time, and well, I'm willing to forget that. But, please, I have to find my friend. I can't do this alone, not with what I'm up against here. I'm a stranger in a strange land."  
  
"You require a Jedi to help you in your search," Windu stated.  
  
"The one I thought of to ask said no, because of responsibilities." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "As if fooling with _that_ kid isn't, like, the biggest waste of time ever." She cleared her throat when she noticed the way Windu stared at her. "I need your help. Someone familiar with this place, and well-trained to fight, is all I require."  
  
If that doesn't soften'em up, I don't know what will, she thought.  
  
"Someone familiar with Coruscant and well-trained?" repeated Windu. He exchanged looks with Yoda then the rest of the Council members before focusing on Buffy. "I believe we have someone we can spare, Lady Summers."  
  
"And who would that be?"  
  
He smiled, but it wasn't a smile that Buffy particularly liked. "Usko."  
  
Buffy stared at him, then shrugged. "And the name means what to me? Who the hell is that?"  
  
"She's a Padawan," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.  
  
"A _what_?" Buffy's jaw dropped open in disbelief. When she finally processed what all that meant, she exclaimed, "You mean she's not even a real Jedi yet?!" She shot Windu a Look. "Oh man... that is so _not_ cool."   
  
"She's rather impatient to take the trials." Windu glanced at Adi Gallia. "But she's very skilled and... uh... focused."  
  
"Uh... I heard that pause," Buffy said, eyeing Windu suspiciously. "You all don't sound too sure about her. Can't you give me somebody who's not doing anything? How about you, Windu?" She smugly grinned at him. "I _know_ you're not busy."  
  
"You should accept the help we offer, Lady Summers," Windu calmly admonished her. "For it will not be offered again."  
  
"Oh, all right," she muttered, scowling. "They should call you the Jerk Master, not the Jedi Master," she grumbled under her breath as she stormed out of the Council Room. The doors barely opened before Buffy was upon them.  
  
Obi-Wan turned away from the window he'd been patiently gazing out of while waiting for the Council to hear Buffy's plea. "Did you succeed?"  
  
"That all depends on your point of view, I guess," she replied, sitting down on one of the couches in the outer chamber.  
  
Obi-Wan was about to ask another question, but decided against it.  
  
-  
  
It was a rare event indeed for a member of the Council to summon a mere Padawan and not her Master. Usually, it meant said Padawan was in for an official reprimand, something Usko Kenobiala had received more than once in her time at the Temple.  
  
But this time, she hadn't done anything in violation of the Code. As she reached the top level of the Temple, Usko realized her summons probably had something to do with the young and very, very angry woman waiting in the outer chambers.  
  
She could feel the anger and frustration as a storm raging against her senses even before reaching the top. And upon exiting the turbolift, Usko was very surprised to see the source of the anger was a girl, not much older than she was, clad in the garb of some Midrim colony.  
  
As courtesy demanded, Usko bowed her head to the girl and then slipped past her into the Council Room itself. Oddly, the girl followed silently after her, her thoughts caught up in confusion and shock.  
  
The entire Council was in session, adding to Usko's own confusion. But she tried not to let it show. Instead, she bowed and waited for one of the Masters to speak.  
  
It wasn't a long wait. As usual, Mace Windu was the first to speak.  
  
"Usko, we have a mission for you."  
  
"Yes, Master?" Usko asked, forcing herself not to show her sudden excitement. Not that it would accomplish much against the Council.  
  
"An envoy from a world that has recently contacted the Republic has been kidnapped. His friends request the aid of the Council, a request we have granted. As part of your training, the task falls upon you."  
  
Usko nodded mutely. That would partially explain the anger of the girl outside.  
  
"Succeed in this task and you will have shown yourself skilled in the duties of a Jedi," Ki-Adi-Mundi added with a grave nod.  
  
And ready for the Trials? Usko nodded again. "Is there anything else, Masters?"  
  
"Lady Summers has all the information you will need. May the Force be with you," Windu said.  
  
"May the Force be with you," Usko replied. She bowed again and headed back to the outer chamber. The blond girl was still there, even angrier than before.  
  
Usko hesitantly smiled at the girl. "Are you Lady Summers?" she asked, trying not to let the girl's anger upset her own emotions.  
  
Buffy couldn't believe how much this Usko looked like Faith. The Faith who breezed in from Boston more than a year before and inserted her wild, reckless self in her life and the lives of her friends.   
  
"You look... you look...." She shook her head as she looked the young Padawan, probably a few years older than Buffy, over.  
  
"What? What do I look... like?"  
  
"A lot like somebody I know back on Earth." She flexed the fingers on her hands. She met the girl's gaze. "It's... disconcerting, really."  
  
Usko nodded. This person she knows on Earth obviously is not popular with her, she thought. "It is a big galaxy..." she offered. After a moment, the Padawan suggested, "We should start the hunt as soon as possible. Do you have any clues as to whom we're dealing with, Lady Summers?"  
  
"It's just Buffy." She relaxed a little, reminding herself that this was a completely different person standing in front of her. Not Faith. "The ladyship is an honorary deal from the Naboo."  
  
Usko then realized she'd not properly introduced herself to Buffy. "I'm Usko Kenobiala."   
  
Usko Kenobi-what? "What did you say?"  
  
"Kenobiala."  
  
One eyebrow rose in curiosity and Buffy asked, "You're not related to Obi-Wan _Kenobi_ are you?"  
  
"He's a cousin." Usko shrugged. "Distant cousin. Mother's sister's husband's branch of the family."  
  
"Distant?" Buffy could see this Usko wasn't too pleased with the fact she was related to Obi-Wan in any degree. Not that the Slayer could blame her. He _was_ a major jerkwad. "Good. Let's go. I want to find whoever took Xander and pound their faces in."  
  
Usko had considerable doubt in her mind that "Lady Summers", the frail and spindly girl before her, could pound anybody's face in. Still, she followed the aristocrat out of the outer chamber of the Jedi Council room. She decided to get more information from the woman to deduce who could've taken the Ambassador and why.  
  
"Why would someone kidnap your friend? Master Windu said he was an Ambassador. Is that the reason?"  
  
Buffy and Usko boarded the turbolift and it began to descend.  
  
"I have a pretty good idea who took him, but I can't say for the fact that nobody would believe me." Buffy's expression darkened as she remembered her argument with Obi-Wan. "Especially not anyone from this part of the galaxy."  
  
"Tell me." Usko arched an eyebrow when Buffy looked at her. "I'd know if you were lying."   
  
"I can't say." The doors of the turbolift opened and they stepped out. "Let's meet up with Imoen and find Xander," she added. She didn't want to start an argument with yet another Jedi. They were stupid, anyway.  
  
Usko frowned. She sensed the anger within the young noblewoman growing more powerful. The strength of the Force that flowed through Buffy was rather strong. She could feel it, even though the girl had no training to hone the Force's energy.  
  
"As you wish," she said with a shrug as they walked. "It's your own friend who's at risk if you do not tell me what you know. But lead the way."  
  
What a snarky witch, Buffy thought, glancing at Usko. She sighed. "Alls I can say is, that from what I know about this guy, he's not doing the kidnapping himself. He's probably got lackeys on it."  
  
"Lackeys? Oh, you mean evil goons." Usko smiled, then made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Easily dealt with."  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Buffy rolled her eyes.  
  
-  
  
- Senate Platform -  
  
Imoen rushed down the Khufu's boarding platform as Buffy and a young woman wearing the clothes of a Jedi stepped out of an air taxi. "Oh, Buffy! You've returned!" she exclaimed, relieved. She met the two young women halfway. "You were gone for so long I was beginning to worry."  
  
"This must be the Lady Earendil." Usko had heard the stories. The woman who claimed to know things about the future. Only Jedi were gifted with such visions.  
  
Imoen turned to the woman. "Why... yes. Please, 'Imoen'." She frowned slightly. "It's been a while since I've thought of myself as 'Lady Earendil'. Who are you?"  
  
"Usko Kenobiala. At your service."  
  
"Ahh." Imoen gave a polite half-bow to the young Jedi. "It is an honor to meet you, Jedi Knight Kenobiala."   
  
Buffy coughed. "Excuse us for a moment," she said to Usko then pulled Imoen out of the Jedi's earshot.  
  
"What?" Imoen asked rather confused. "What's the matter?"  
  
The Slayer glanced at Usko who watched the two with guarded interest. "The Council didn't exactly give us a _real_ Jedi."  
  
Imoen's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "There are fake ones?"  
  
"No, this girl, she's one of those... what is it? Paddawaddles? Paddawhackers?"   
  
"Padawan?"  
  
"That's it! What are we gonna do with someone who isn't even a real Jedi yet?"  
  
"Might I remind you, Buffy, that Obi-Wan was not yet a Jedi Knight when he defeated Darth Maul?"  
  
Buffy glanced at Usko who was looking over the Khufu. "Point taken."   
  
Usko's attention switched from the ship to Imoen. "Lady Summers tells me that Rodians are the culprits behind the Ambassador's kidnapping."  
  
Imoen glanced at Buffy then looked to Usko. "Yes," she slowly replied. "We're rather certain."  
  
"Are they difficult creatures to deal with?" asked Buffy.  
  
"The only ones I've met are, at any rate." Imoen shrugged.  
  
"They're unpleasant in general, but... there's a colony of them on one of the moons above," the young Jedi answered Buffy. "But it's a pacifist sect. Not at all the type who would do such a thing."   
  
"That's right." Imoen nodded, her eyes lighting up in realization. "Tetsus. Named for the peaceful Rodian tribe."  
  
"And if Rodians are notoriously violent..." said Buffy, an idea forming in her mind. "What better place to hide than among the non-violent ones?"  
  
Usko was impressed. "That's an inspired strategy, I admit." Not bad... for an aristocrat, she added in her head. "It feels right."  
  
"I've dealt with a lot of devious, evil types in my years as Slayer. You learn to think like them after a while. Comes in very handy, like now."  
  
"So we go to the Rodian colony?" Imoen said, her eyes flicking from one girl to the other.  
  
"Yes. It's the best chance at discovering them." Usko raised up an eyebrow as she looked at the ship. "You came in this?" she asked, jerking a thumb at the Khufu.  
  
"It's Coreillian," Imoen replied, defensive. "We make the best ships around."  
  
"If it can get me anywhere near that Rodian colony, I'm happy."  
  
"It just seems as if it's seen better days..." Usko offered to Imoen. She tried to smile, not sure if her lie would pass muster with the noble. "I'm sure it's a fine ship under the grime and all."   
  
Imoen folded her arms across her stomach, a look of resolve on her face. "Damn right it's a fine ship. It may not look like a Nubian, but it's got it where it counts."  
  
"Let's get this show on the road," Buffy impatiently said. She was tired of all the silly posturing going on between Usko and Imoen. Who really cared what the stupid ship looked like? "I have this overwhelming urge to beat something senseless."   
  
"Be patient, Buffy. Haste leads to defeat," Usko admonished. As if this scrawny, little woman will be of any help against Rodians, she thought.  
  
"Patient, hell. These jerkwads are gonna be sorry they messed with my friend."   
  
Imoen blinked. Buffy had expressed anger before when speaking of demons and vampires, but this felt different. The look on the girl's face, it was almost feral.   
  
Usko, however, did not keep her thoughts on Buffy to herself. "Don't let your anger cloud your judgement, Buffy. It will only make your friend's life in all the more peril." She paused then, less pompous, added, "And you might get hurt."  
  
Buffy whirled around, glaring at Usko. "Hey! I'm not like you Jedi people. I don't bottle up my emotions." She pointed to herself. "I _use_ them. And I've been doing pretty damn good with that strategy." With that, she stormed up the boarding ramp, disappearing into the Khufu.  
  
"I am worried about her," Imoen quietly commented to Usko. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "She's never been like this before."   
  
"I'm sure she's concerned about the welfare of your friend, Imoen." She frowned slightly and made a mental note to keep an eye on Buffy.  
  
Imoen nodded. "True. And she tends to get a little riled whenever she's within a thousand yards of Obi-Wan Kenobi." Even though it sounded good and well when she said it out loud, Imoen hadn't convinced herself that was the problem. She headed up the ramp, leaving Usko alone on the platform.  
  
Usko closed her eyes, calming herself. Once she'd reached a state of peace, she attempted to read Buffy with the Force. Nothing. Not smidge registered with her. She figured her concentration wasn't at it's peak. Giving up, she was the last to board.  
  
-  
  
- Hall of Ages, Naboo -   
  
Cyril had set up shop in the Naboo archives the hour after Buffy and company left, and hadn't come up for air since. There were books in the library that were older than the Great Pyramids, and in better condition. There was some kind of super glue spray that kept the paper from crumbling or fading, according to Kirja.  
  
Whatever it was, it worked. The book Cyril was thumbing through was in perfect readable condition - if one could read Middle-Old Alderaanian. Apparently, it hadn't taken long for the Numenorean language to mutate. Cyril could only make out one word in ten in the book.  
  
But the pictures were good. The book was apparently a mythical account of the prehistory of Alderaan. Cyril could recognize some of the material - a garbled account of the demigods, the first generation of Numenoreans, the rise of mankind, and the war with the nine demon kings...  
  
Cyril frowned and grabbed a magnifying glass to get a closer look at one of the pictures of a battle between the Numenoreans and the demons. One demon in particular stood out - a grey skinned creature in black robes blasting fire at some Numenorean soldiers.  
  
"Son of a... It's the same demon."   
  
He looked over at the text next to the picture. Most of it was gibberish, but he could understand some of it. A battle between Numenor and the gray demon's people - the Nitreans. Lots of people, or demons, or both, had died. But the book wasn't clear on who had won the battle, only that the Nitreans were very nasty.   
  
Cyril carefully turned to the next page, then sighed when he saw the picture.  
  
A single Nitrean demon standing alone in a field of bodies. Human bodies.  
  
This thing is gunning for us? God help us. It has to have a weakness, the Numenoreans beat it back in the day...  
  
Two or three hours later, Cyril found the weakness, such as it was.  
  
"And Lord Amaril put the Star within his sword and all the dark ones fled from its power, fearing the fire within it. On the shore of the south island, Lord Amaril met the demon king in battle and burned him with the Star."  
  
Lord Amaril, the first warlord of Numenor. But what Star? Cyril flipped forward a page and frowned as he translated the text.   
  
"After the last battle, the Star was taken to a place of honor... No, put in a place of honor atop the silver brow of Lord Amaril. Silver brow?"  
  
It took a few seconds for Cyril to realize what a 'silver brow' was and another few seconds for him to turn the page and see a crown with the Star illustrated in all its glory.  
  
"Great, the one thing that can beat this goon is gone for good," Cyril groaned.  
  
"What is?" Kirja asked.  
  
Cyril almost jumped out of his chair. "God. Don't sneak up on a guy like that."  
  
Kirja rolled her eyes. "It's a library, Cyril, you're supposed to be quiet. Now what is all this?" she asked.  
  
"This guy...he's after Buffy and Xander and Imoen," Cyril said, pointing at the picture of the Nitrean king. "And the only way to kill him is to use this thing," he added, flipping back to the picture of the crown.  
  
"The Star of Kings?"   
  
"Wait - you know what this is?"  
  
"Of course. Everyone on Naboo does," Kirja replied. "It's the coronation crown used by the monarch."  
  
"It is?"  
  
"Yes, it is. I do know a few things about this planet," she said with a smile.  
  
"Okay, yeah. Sorry. So do you think the Queen would let us cut it off the crown to use as a weapon?"  
  
-  
  
"Absolutely not! The Star of Kings is our most priceless relic," Amidala said, narrowing her eyes at Cyril. "To cut it up would be an insult to our ancestors' heroic war for freedom. There must be another way to defeat this alien. No creature is invincible."  
  
"Your Majesty, this isn't an alien, it's a - " Cyril sighed. He had a feeling she wouldn't believe anything involving demons. "A very very powerful alien. Not even a Jedi could kill it without this Star."  
  
"No alien could stand up against the power of the Force," Amidala said patiently.  
  
"Your Majesty, with respect, this is not entirely true," Kirja pointed out. "There are a few alien species immune or resistant to the Force."  
  
"I have not heard of any."  
  
"The Jedi do not like to admit they exist. But the ysalmiri of Wayland and the Yunuan, for example, are immune to the powers of the Jedi."  
  
Amidala frowned and considered it, then shook her head. "There must be a different way."  
  
Cyril shook his head. "There might be, but Buffy and the others might be in danger right now. We don't have time to look for another way to kill it, your Majesty. It would be too late for them."  
  
There was a long, tense silence, then Amidala nodded. "You're right. Mistress Kirja, you have my permission to help Cyril use the Star of Kings. Use the Royal Seal to open the energy cage around it," she said, removing a small bronze key from her ornate necklace. "I shall have Captain Panaka prepare a ship to take you to Coruscant."  
  
"Thank you, your Majesty," Cyril said, bowing like Kirja had told him to. Now if we're not too late...  
  
-  
  
Khufu - on Tetsus  
  
"That's it," Imoen sighed as she entered the area of the ship where Buffy and Usko were. She sat down at the small table with Buffy and glanced at Usko who was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. "We're stuck on the ship for at least twenty more minutes. They wouldn't even hear out my plea."  
  
"It's understandable," Usko commented. "A group of humans searching for a kidnapped ambassador on their moon - likely to worry them. They came so far to escape trouble."  
  
Buffy let out a sigh of anger. "Well, this just sucks!" she muttered as she slumped down in her seat. She toyed with a loose string on her T-shirt. She'd changed back into her real world clothes for this mission to rescue Xander. She wondered why she was even playing along with all this silly Jedi and _Star Wars_ nonsense anyway. It was all made up, who cared?  
  
"At least Sarn and Seren stayed behind on Coruscant," Imoen said as she rested her chin in the palm of her right hand. It'd taken a great amount of persuasion on her part to keep the brothers off the Khufu. Seren had zero care for Xander, and made no secret of that, and Sarn was ambivalent at best. They would've only further complicated the situation.  
  
Usko pushed herself off the wall then settled into a cross legged sitting position in the middle of the floor. She removed her lightsabre from her belt and placed it on the floor in front of her. While closing her eyes, she concentrated on becoming in tune with the world around her.  
  
"What are you doing?" Imoen asked as she and Buffy watched Usko's lightsabre hilt lift up into the air then hang there. Soon, it began to spin slowly.  
  
"Practicing my telekinesis skills," Usko murmured in response, her eyes still closed, her concentration on her task.  
  
"Why?" Buffy inquired. She watched as the sabre twirled faster, then slowed down... then rose up then down.  
  
"I want to be in top form for my Trials from the Council."  
  
"Trials?" Buffy snorted as she shook her head. "Trust me on this one. Stay away from _any_ Council sponsored 'trials'."  
  
Usko's eyes opened, but sabre still levitated. "What do you mean, girl?"  
  
The Slayer frowned at being referred to as "girl". "They don't play fair. Believe me."  
  
"Well, if that brat Obi-Wan can pass, I'm sure I can." Usko's sabre ignited at her silent command and the beam of energy hummed as the Jedi Padawan rotated it.  
  
"Wow." Buffy hadn't seen Obi-Wan do something like that. She glanced at Xander's backpack lying on a small couch across the room. She narrowed her eyes on it, wondering if she could use her midichlorians to bring it to her.  
  
Usko watched in amusement when Buffy's attempts to move the backpack failed. She shut down her sabre and plucked the hilt out of the air.   
  
Buffy grunted in frustration when the stupid backpack didn't even jiggle. "Damn it," she grumbled, hitting an open palm on the table. She went back to concentrating on it. I will move this thing... I will! she told herself.  
  
"What are you trying to do?" Imoen asked after watching Buffy strain over seemingly nothing.  
  
"Move Xander's backpack."   
  
"With the Force?"   
  
"Yeah, but my midichlorians must be defective." She frowned, scratching the back of her head. "It's not moving." She thought it over, then came up with a new idea. "Here...let me try a different approach." She stared at the backpack for a few moments then said, "There is no backpack." Still, it didn't move. "Damn."   
  
Usko raised an eyebrow. "No backpack? But it's right there." She pointed to it.  
  
"It's from... Oh never mind."   
  
"Do you want it?" Usko easily used her telekinesis ability to float the backpack to Buffy, neatly placing it on the table.  
  
"Will you knock that off?" Buffy snarled at Usko. She threw the backpack across the room. She flinched when she heard Xander's CD player shatter in pieces upon impact with the wall. Uh oh. But she didn't care for long. "I'm trying to get the hang of this Force using thing!"  
  
Imoen blinked a few times. Whatever had come over Buffy? She was never so hostile without good reason before.  
  
Buffy concentrated on the backpack, but only ended up straining once again. "Why isn't this working?"   
  
She focused more on it, her anger over the delay at the Rodian colony, and the frustration of not being able move it, flowed through her body. The backpack slid across the floor and stopped at her feet.   
  
"Did you see that?" she triumphantly exclaimed pointing at the backpack. "It moved! Ha ha! I'm pretty hot!"  
  
Usko cringed. The amount of Dark power that flowed through Buffy when she moved the backpack was disturbing. "Never like that, Buffy!" she couldn't help but exclaim her warning. "Never like that!"  
  
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Buffy shot back.  
  
"Yes, but only because of your anger."   
  
"My anger?" Then she realized what Usko was stressed over. She laughed at her. "You don't believe in all that Dark Side mambo jahambo, do you? I know how to control my emotions, Usko."  
  
"What do you mean, don't I believe it? The Dark Side is very real, Buffy. And you were tapping into it. Knowingly or not."   
  
Buffy waved a hand in a dismissive gesture at Usko. "That's a bunch of crap Luca -" She abruptly stopped when she caught the killer glare Imoen shot her. " - somebody made up. I'm fine." She turned her attention back to the backpack. "This Force junk might come in handy here if I can get the hang of it."  
  
"I strongly suggest you calm down before trying." Usko got up from the floor, coming over to the table where Buffy and Imoen sat. "I can help you, if you want."  
  
Imoen glanced at Buffy trying to move the backpack, then up to Usko. "Maybe you should listen to Usko, Buffy."  
  
Buffy sighed angrily as she looked to Imoen. "Maybe you should shut up. I'm trying to do something here." Her focus went back to moving the pack, as she mumbled, "Wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you, anyway."  
  
Imoen, hurt by Buffy's harsh words, lowered her head.  
  
Usko, in an attempt to distract Buffy from saying anything else stupid, grabbed the backpack with the Force. She danced it around the room. "See? No anger, only calm."  
  
"Would you stop showing off?" Buffy yelled as she slammed her hands on the table. She rose to her feet, glaring at the Padawan. "I'm doing _fine_ on my own." She snatched the backpack from the air. "I don't need your help, Faith!"  
  
"Buffy, please..." Imoen knew a little of Faith. The girl didn't come around much after she'd arrived, but Xander told plenty of stories.  
  
Usko, though, was confused. "Faith?"  
  
"I'm gonna go see if these stupid Rodians are gonna let us on their planet." Buffy gave Usko one final glare then stormed out of the room.  
  
"Buffy, wait!" Imoen got to her feet, but Buffy was long gone. Her eyes closed briefly then she looked to Usko. "The longer Buffy stays in this place, the more hostile she becomes."  
  
"Yes, I can sense it...it's starting to cloud her mind." Usko stared at the doorway for a few moments, reaching out with the Force once again to try to read Buffy. Still, nothing. "What is making her so angry? Does she care for this Xander?"  
  
"Yes, very much," she replied, nodding. "And that is what is causing the problem. On her planet, the Force acts in a very different way for her. She's not used to her emotions having an effect on it's use. If she doesn't control herself, or get out of this part of the.. galaxy...." Her words trailed off. "I fear she will get hurt. Or someone else will."  
  
"I will watch out for her, trust me." The Padawan smiled encouragingly. "I can restrain her, if it comes to that. Which it won't, I'm sure."   
  
"She's a strong young woman, Usko. I must warn you." A passing thought particularly worried Imoen. What if Palpatine sensed the Darkness emerging in her friend? "Let us find Xander, so Buffy may leave." She left the room to find Buffy.  
  
Usko nodded and followed, wondering how strong Buffy really was.  
  
-  
  
Palpatine's Chambers  
  
Palpatine sat up in his chair when he felt a strong vibration through the Dark Side of the Force. A smile crossed his face. The Slayer has stepped onto the path, he thought, pleased. Soon, she'll be mine.  
  
-  
  
Rodian Settlement on Tetsus  
  
"Took them long enough to let us off the ship," Buffy commented as she, Imoen and Usko wandered through the streets of the Rodian settlement. The creatures were rather wary of them, she could tell. She shielded her eyes from the sun light, looking up and down the thoroughfare. "Is this the only city on this planet?"  
  
"Yes. This is the main settlement and the rest of the moon is deserted," Usko replied. "The Senate was sympathetic to the Tetsus Rodians' problem and allowed them this old moon base as a sanctuary. They didn't have use for it anymore."  
  
"Wow. Lovely. How do we find Xander in this mess?" Buffy asked. "He could be anywhere."  
  
"There's an old military station not too far from the settlement, if I recall correctly," Imoen remarked as the three of them made their way down the street. "Because peaceful Rodians didn't have any need for something like that they let the base fall into ruin," she explained. "A Rodian friend of mine who grew up here told me about the place. Said that smugglers, thieves, murderers and every scum of any society use it as a hideout."  
  
"Sounds like our Rodians. We should go there," Usko said.  
  
-  
  
Later outside the military installation...   
  
Buffy surveyed the dilapidated old military installation. Weeds had overtaken most of the complex, along with an assortment of flora and fauna she'd never seen before. For the most part, it didn't look too impenetrable. But looks were sometimes very deceiving.  
  
"So, what's the plan?" she asked, turning to Usko and Imoen.  
  
"Plan, Lady Buffy?" Usko raised an eyebrow. "We charge in and defeat them."   
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh, brilliant," she sarcastically replied. "Guess that's a tactic they taught you at the old Jedi Academy, huh?"  
  
Usko's eyes slightly narrowed, but she calmly folded her arms across her stomach. "What would you suggest, then?"  
  
The Slayer thought it over a for a moment. "A battalion of soldiers, a couple of howitzers and a bazooka or two," she answered. She shrugged. "But since we don't have any of that stuff, we'll have to use the old sneak attack."   
  
"Sneak attack?" Usko was almost offended by the suggestion. "What do you mean? Skulking in the dark like...like a pack of Sith?"   
  
Buffy began to pull away weeds from the outside of the building, searching for a door or a window. "Don't knock it until you've tried it."   
  
"Fine. Since you seem to be an expert in such things, you lead the way."   
  
"It is a method that works well," Imoen told Usko as she began to help Buffy with the overgrowth. "Especially in situations where we do not know the enemy's strength."   
  
"Yeah, what she said," Buffy grunted as she yanked off a huge piece of the fauna. She grinned when she saw she'd uncovered a ventilation grate. She pointed up, indicating the shaft about fifteen feet above their heads. "Eureka."   
  
Usko drew a cleansing breath. "I'll go in first." She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force to remove the grate from the ventilation shaft. Once it was on the ground, she opened her eyes and looked to Buffy and Imoen. "Wait here and I'll help you up."  
  
"Huh? Help _us_ up?" Buffy asked. "Who's gonna help you up?"  
  
"The Force," Usko replied with a small grin. She executed an amazing Force-jump through the now open ventilation shaft.  
  
"Wow," Imoen breathed, shaking her head slightly. Such use of the Force never failed to put her in awe.  
  
"Show off," Buffy muttered from beside Imoen. She glanced at Imoen as Usko lowered a rope from her belt.   
  
"Here!" she called to the two girls on the ground. "Buffy, secure this end down there."  
  
Imoen grabbed the rope and did as Usko instructed when it was clear that Buffy intended not to take orders. "How do we find them in this place?" she asked Buffy as she worked on securing the rope.  
  
Buffy concentrated for a second or two. A warm feeling flowed through her, and she seemed to tap into an essence she knew to be Xander's. She blinked a few times as she focused on Imoen. "I can feel him... Xander's presence. It's... really wiggin' me out, but I... I know where he is. And... something else..."   
  
Imoen shuddered. "Let's go, Buffy."  
  
Usko grabbed Buffy's arm, despite Buffy's insistence she could get up on her own, and helped the Slayer into the shaft. She met Buffy's gaze briefly. "This way. They're in the middle of the building." She pointed down the long shaftway they stood in. "I'll go explore. Stay here."  
  
She used her Force-speed to head up the shaft.  
  
"This chick really bugs," Buffy murmured.  
  
"Buffy, you must calm yourself," Imoen admonished quietly.  
  
"I AM calm!"   
  
"No, you're not," she gently replied. She paused when Buffy glared at her. "You're hostile. It's frightening me."  
  
"I am not hostile! I'm just tired of getting screwed around with in this universe."  
  
Imoen strained to remain calm. "You do know the Force works both ways, Buffy. I know you do... " She placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder, her expression becoming meaningful. "You've seen what it can do when it's used by someone who is angry."  
  
"I'm mad. I admit that," she said, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "But I'm _not_ gonna become Darth Vader because I kicked some punk Rodian ass. I'm a _real_ person, Imoen. _I'm_ in control of _me_."  
  
"I'm only saying..."  
  
"Just don't say anything else?" Buffy cut in, irritated with Imoen's holier than thou attitude. "All right?"  
  
The argument didn't go any further because Usko returned. "They're in a chamber at the end of the hall," she reported. "The door is locked and sealed, but it should not be a problem to open." She patted the sabre clipped to her belt.   
  
"Okay." Buffy nodded. "Usko, you're gonna be going in first. _No_ lightsabre when the fighting starts. Got it?"  
  
Usko's hand slipped from her sabre. "I beg your pardon?"   
  
"I didn't stutter," Buffy snidely replied. "_No_ lightsabre. It's too dangerous in such close quarters. I don't want you accidentally slicing Xander in half." She smirked. "You Jedi Padawans are known to do stuff like that."  
  
The young Padawan shook her head. "I don't know where you get your stories, Buffy, but I've been trained on how to safely wield a lightsabre since I was eight years old. I assure you, I won't harm Xander. And I will be able to protect him."  
  
"_No_ lightsabre."  
  
Imoen glanced from Buffy to Usko. Neither girl wanted to budge on her position, and Xander's life hung in the balance. Someone needed to be the peacekeeper, the mediator. "Perhaps you should not, Usko," she spoke up. "There is always an unknown factor is any confrontation. We should keep the variables to a low with this one."  
  
Buffy smiled smugly. "Yeah, you have your Force powers."   
  
"Force powers that cannot block a blaster bolt. But if you insist." This mission is more trouble than it's worth, Usko thought.  
  
"They won't _have_ blasters to fire at us if someone does her _job_ right."  
  
Usko eyed Buffy. The girl's anger only kept building. The incident on the ship earlier was fresh in Usko's mind as well. "Perhaps I should handle this alone."  
  
"No way." Buffy stepped toe to toe with Usko. "We're going in as a team."  
  
Imoen pushed the Slayer away from the Jedi. "Usko, I must side with Buffy," she said. "Going in as a team might be the wiser course of action. For instance, we know nothing of the enemy's numbers or with what sort of weaponry they are equipped."  
  
"Neither of you are even armed, though."  
  
Buffy sighed in frustration as she rolled her eyes. "That's why we sneak in and _surprise_ them! Duh!" Is she learning impaired, Buffy wondered. "You have that Force stuff. You can snatch the weapons from them easily, right? Then I proceed to kick their asses."   
  
"And save Xander, Buffy," Imoen quickly put in. It seemed as though the violence part of the mission was the only thing that appealed to Buffy.  
  
"Well... YEAH. Now let's go!"  
  
"Wait - " Usko grabbed Buffy's arm, stopping her. "Kick their asses? How?"  
  
"With our fists." The Slayer held hers up in Usko's face to bring the point home. "Are you stupid?"   
  
"No." Usko had more and more difficulty remaining calm with this _Lady_. She flexed her fingers, the bones cracking a little. "But I'm used to something less... barbaric."  
  
Oh, whatever. Barbaric, Buffy thought with a snort. "And I'm used to hand to hand, in-your-face combat. Not all this lightsabres and Force baloney. You do your trick and I'll do mine."  
  
Meanwhile....  
  
Xander watched the gray skinned alien creature pacing around him. This was no Star Wars verse creature he was familiar with, so he had no idea how dangerous it potentially was. So far, this Setamek hadn't asked much, mostly questions about Earth. Why the he wanted to know about Earth, Xander couldn't figure out.  
  
Setamek stopped in front of Xander, placing his hands on each of the boy's arms clamped down to the chair's arms. "Your human culture... has it advanced much in the last few millennia? I don't remember ancient humans being very... bright."  
  
Ancient humans? Xander swallowed hard. All right, that would explain why I've never seen this guy in the movies before - he's not from here. Now, the 64,000 dollar question is: how did an Earth demon get _here_?  
  
"Advanced? That depends on what you'd mean by advanced," Xander carefully replied. He looked Setamek in the eyes, then glanced at the three Rodians watching the interrogation with interest.  
  
"You must have advanced, or else you wouldn't have found my K'linok rod." He stood straight. "And discovered how to operate it," he finished.  
  
"That wasn't really an advancement, it was an accident," Xander replied. "Dr. Zahn found it, he didn't know what it was. I'm sure he wouldn't have taken it if he knew it already belonged to somebody. Especially someone... powerful and scary like you."  
  
"You silly humans should know better than to touch things that are not yours."  
  
Xander tried to laugh as he shrugged. "An inherent weakness of the species, I guess. Curiosity killed the cat."  
  
Setamek briefly smiled, letting out an amused laugh. "Or killed the Ambassador, in this case. You tell me nothing useful of your planet, boy. Of how you've developed."  
  
His face paled. "Well.. wait... I can tell you a lot."  
  
"Let's just kill him," one of the Rodians suggested in English. The other four nodded in giddy anticipation. "He's useless and he rambles too much."  
  
The Rodian leader approached, seizing Xander by the throat. "Never seen the inside of a human before...." A sinister laugh. "...let's cut him up."  
  
"Hey! Don't I get to cast a vote here!" Xander exclaimed as the Rodian leader let go. "I say 'nay'! No cutting up of the human prisoner! Geneva Convention forbids it! Or the Helsinki Convention. Some place up there in the Nether Regions frowns on cutting up prisoners."  
  
One of the other Rodians produced a long knife.  
  
Setamek took a few steps back. "We're not on your world, boy. Your conventions mean nothing here. And nothing to these creatures." He motioned to the Rodians, just waiting for the green light to slice and dice.  
  
"All right. Enough Mr. Nice Ambassador," Xander said, doing his best to stop shaking and not let his voice squeak like a little girl. "You guys are making a big mistake here. I'm friends with Mistress Buffy, you know. When she finds out you guys wanted to get all Norman Bates on me, she'll kick your asses. Make you sorry you ever climbed out of the slime you call home."  
  
The Rodians exchanged looks.  
  
"Cut out his tongue first," one of them suggested. The others murmured in agreement.  
  
Oh... crap, Xander thought.  
  
The Rodian with the knife grinned a little and forced Xander's mouth open. But before he could start to cut, the door at the far end of the room suddenly blew off the hinges and landed on the floor with a loud, echoing thud. Xander's eyes widened when he saw the long, narrow slash marks on the edge of the door. A lightsabre! he realized with a grin.  
  
All five of the Rodians turned and opened fire with their blasters without waiting for the smoke to clear.  
  
"Hold it!" the leader called after a few seconds. "Teebo, Salvo, go."  
  
The two biggest Rodians cautiously approached the door, blasters raised. At a silent signal from the leader, they jumped through and checked both sides of the hallway beyond.  
  
Just as they were starting to turn back to the room, a cloaked shape dropped down between the two Rodians. They had time to raise their blasters again before the shape tapped each of them in turn, then they both tumbled to the ground.  
  
"Black bones!" the Rodian leader swore, turning to blast the new threat. Before he or the other remaining thugs could open fire, the newcomer waved a hand and all three blasters flew from the long fingers of the Rodians, colliding with the back wall with enough force to break them apart.  
  
"Yeah!" Xander cheered as the person in the cloak advanced into the room. "Ugh!" he said a second later, as the leader of the Rodians grabbed him by the throat and started to stab downward with the knife. A foot away from Xander's neck, the Rodian's arm froze. It swore, then went tumbling towards the other two Rodians.   
  
"Buffy, now!" the person - girl - in the cloak yelled. She seemed to smile from under her cowl. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah!" Xander said, squirming against the handcuffs holding him to the chair. Then he remembered Setamek. "Watch out!" he warned her.  
  
Usko didn't need any warning, though. She saw the gray-skinned demon and, drew the blaster pistol she'd worn on what had seemed a whim. "Stay back," she warned Setamek, only to be laughed at.  
  
"Oh, crap," Xander moaned as Setamek charged Usko, apparently not intimidated by blasters. Or anything else.  
  
"You again?!" Buffy said when she saw Setamek. One of the Rodians tried to attack her from the side, only to be elbowed in the face. It collapsed. "Hey... now that guy - " she paused to kick another one of the Rodians in the chest " - you can use the lightsabre on!"  
  
"Yeah!" Xander agreed, then "Hey!" when he saw Imoen follow Buffy into the room. She hurried over to him.   
  
"Are you hurt?" Imoen asked worriedly as she knelt and began to fiddle with the manacles that held Xander to the chair. There was a click and the manacles fell to the ground.  
  
Xander stood up and smiled at Imoen. "I'm okay now."  
  
"Good. Buffy needs our help," Imoen replied, pointing at Buffy and the three Rodians she was fighting.  
  
One of the Rodians came after Xander, yelling in it's native language.   
  
"Here, hold these." He tossed the manacles at the Rodian who caught them, then Xander punched him in the face.  
  
Imoen whacked the creature on the back of the head with the chair Xander had been strapped to. The Rodian collapsed to the ground, out cold. She grinned at Xander. "We're still a good team," she said to him.  
  
Both of them hopped aside as another of the Rodians went flying past them. Each looked in the direction from which he'd come to see Buffy handling the other three. The two of them picked the nearest one and worked to take him down, while Buffy concentrated on the other two Rodians.  
  
Buffy ducked down, letting the charging Rodian flip over her body. It landed on the ground with a grunt. Twirling around, she snatched up a thin metal pole - what it was used for really, Buffy had no clue - but it substituted nicely as a bo staff. She whammed the Rodian on the floor in the face with it, successfully taking him out of the fight.  
  
-  
  
While Imoen, Buffy and Xander dealt with the Rodians, Usko tried to fend off Setamek. She'd fired her blaster twice, but the creature had just absorbed the blaster bolts, then almost tackled her to the ground. Only a quick Force-jump saved her from his outstretched claws.  
  
She landed behind Setamek and hastily drew and activated her lightsabre. He laughed as he turned to face her. "They send little girls to kill me now?" he asked.  
  
"What are you?" Usko asked, almost to herself, and tried not to get even the slightest bit angry at his 'little girls' remark.  
  
"Setamek, the Destroyer," he replied, then reached into his cloak and drew a long, black blade. Without another word, he slashed at her with it.  
  
Usko's confident grin as she parried the blow with her lightsabre vanished when Setamek's blade didn't evaporate where it met the bright glow of her own weapon. Instead, the lightsabre was nearly knocked out of her hands.  
  
-  
  
The Rodian leader, knife clutched in his hand, was the last one standing. He chuckled as the Slayer turned to face him with her little weapon. "You fight almost as well as a Jedi," he complimented her.  
  
"I'm better than a Jedi," Buffy told him.   
  
She brought one end of the pole around, knocking the knife out of the Rodian's hand - and breaking his wrist at the same time - then she jabbed him in the gut with the end of the staff and brought it up, connecting with the Rodian's face. The force of her blow flipped the creature's heels over his head backwards and he landed flat on his stomach.  
  
"I'm real," she finished as the Rodian raised up his head to look at her.  
  
The leader laughed. "You? Better than a Jedi? Not quite."  
  
Not fully knowing what was controlling her, Buffy threw away her pole and jumped on the Rodian's back. She put an arm around his neck, pulling his upper body off the floor and towards her. "Say that again... I dare you," she growled in what she hoped was his ear.  
  
"Not bad... for an aristocrat," the Rodian changed his comment to a compliment. He began to laugh.  
  
"I'm not an aristocrat, punk," she snarled, tightening her choke hold on him. Once more, not knowing what possessed her to do so, she used her Slayer strength to easily snap the Rodian's neck. His lifeless body fell to the floor as Buffy rose up to her feet, glaring at the creature. "I'm the Slayer," she evenly added.  
  
Imoen turned away from the last of the Rodians just in time to see Buffy kill their leader. She gasped loudly. "Oh... my God. Xander..."  
  
Xander kicked the unconscious Rodian. "That's what you get for messing with Jedi Master Xander," he said to the Rodian then spat on it. He turned when Imoen grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around. "What?" His eyes went wider when he saw the dead Rodian Buffy stood over.  
  
-  
  
Usko's confident grin as she parried the blow with her lightsabre vanished when Setamek's blade didn't evaporate where it met the bright glow of her own weapon. Instead, the lightsabre was nearly knocked out of her hands.  
  
"How?" Usko exclaimed. Nothing except another lightsabre should have been able to block her blade like that. And, even worse, he was stronger than her - the two blades were locked and he was pushing them closer and closer to her. She ducked and slid her lightsabre down towards the floor. Caught off-balance, Setamek recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to skewer Usko as she jumped back, out of the black sword's reach. She felt the sword pass within a few centimeters of her spine, had enough time to raise  
her lightsabre in a defensive position and see that Imoen and the others were okay, then Setamek attacked again.  
  
Usko dodged the first blow, and the second, then saw a chance to strike back. She jumped up, used the Force to push Setamek's arms down along the path of his attack, thus exposing his chest, then slashed at it with her lightsabre. But when her weapon sliced into him, the gray skin took on a gaseous form and parted around the blue blade, resolidifying after it passed.  
  
-  
  
"Buffy, what happened?" Imoen calmly asked as the girl joined them. She couldn't take her eyes off the Rodian. The way it's head lay on the ground... the spinal cord of the creature had to have been completely severed.  
  
"He screwed with me and he died," Buffy replied, a smirk tugging at her lips. She looked to Xander. "You just had to go and get kidnapped, didn't you? That's what you're good at, Xander. Getting into fixes I have to get you out of."  
  
"There were five of them, Buffy. I had little chance to get out of it on my own." What's with this attitude, Xander wondered. If she weren't ten times stronger than me, I'd kick her ass.  
  
"Because you're weak, Xander. Weak in our universe, and weak in this one."  
  
Xander's fists tightened behind his back. If he started a fight, he knew he wouldn't be the one to finish it, but this was uncalled for. He was about to say something to her, but their attention was caught by the maniacal laughter of the demon, Setamek.  
  
Setamek laughed at the look on Usko's face, then nearly impaled her on his sword with a quick upward thrust. Usko managed to dodge the attack, but she knew that sooner than later, one of his blows would connect. And no matter how many times she hit him, it wouldn't do any damage. Stepping back again, Usko decided on a new strategy.  
  
She held her free hand out, fingers stretched, and called on the Force to throw Setamek across the room just as she'd done with the Rodians moments before. But even as an invisible grip began to push the demon, it cackled and shifted entirely into the shadowy form, untouchable now.  
  
Imoen blinked a few times when she saw what Setamek had done. "Oh... my..."  
  
"Okay, this is the part when we run and I do a lot of screaming." Xander, giving Imoen a slight push, fled the room.   
  
Imoen didn't need to be told twice. "Buffy, come on!" she called, running after Xander.  
  
Buffy's gaze slid over to Setamek who was still in shadow form. "You wanna go another round, buddy?" She grinned. "I'm pumped up big time. I feel real strong."  
  
Usko backed away from Setamek, her sabre still drawn. Oh, chaos, she thought when she saw the expression on Buffy's face. She's sliding deeper into the Dark Side. "Buffy, we must leave! We have to protect your friends!"  
  
"Oh, they're all right. Xander knows running away like the back of his hand." She approached Setamek. She beckoned him with a crooked finger. "Come on. Let's play."   
  
Setamek could sense the Evil growing stronger inside of Buffy. A light, sinister chuckling came from the shadow.  
  
"We have to go, Buffy!"   
  
Setamek vanished through one of the walls of the installation. Best to let the Slayer fall the rest of the way to the Dark Side. She would come to Palpatine soon enough.  
  
"You wimp!" Buffy paced around in a circle, looking up at the ceiling. "Come back and fight!"  
  
"Buffy, we should go before the Rodians recover."   
  
"Forget the Rodians. That punk-ass is the one I want." Realizing that Setamek wasn't coming back, she headed out of the room. "Let's get the hell out of here."  
  
Usko followed, pausing a brief moment when she noticed the dead Rodian leader on the floor. Oh... no, she frantically thought. It's started.  
  
Back at the main Rodian settlement....  
  
Buffy still stewed over the fight, and Usko's concern grew. She approached the Slayer at the foot of the ramp of the Khufu. "The battle is over...let your anger go," she gently said.  
  
Xander and Imoen exchanged a look, but remained quiet.  
  
"Let it go?" Buffy exclaimed, turning to Usko. "Let it _go_? No, this just pissed me off even more. That guy really bugs me. Attacks me on Coreilla, kidnaps my friend here..." A quick glance at Xander. "When I find him, I'm gonna make him sorry he ever decided to screw with me. I'll kill him..."  
  
"Your friend is safe and the creature's retreated. Why dwell on it? It will only cloud your mind with rage."  
  
"Mind your own business, Usko." Buffy's eyes closed as a wave of nausea hit her.  
  
Xander took Buffy by the arm. "Get on the ship, Buffy," he gently said. She looked awful. "Those Rodians will be really, really pissed. We don't want them catching us."  
  
Imoen nodded. "Please, Buffy, Xander is right."  
  
Buffy put a hand to her head as her eyes opened. What's happening to me, she wondered. "Xander... I...."  
  
"What?"   
  
"I feel strange..."   
  
Xander turned to her. She was extremely pale. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern in his voice.  
  
"I don't know... " Confusion filled her as she placed the back of her hand to her forehead. "I feel... " She let out a heavy sigh as she began to fall to the ground.  
  
Xander managed to grab her before she hit the ramp of the Khufu. "Buffy!" he exclaimed as Usko ran over.   
  
"What happened?" the Jedi inquired, examining Buffy in Xander's arms.  
  
"Oh my!" Imoen joined them. She looked from Xander to Usko. "Is she all right? Buffy, can you hear me?"   
  
Carefully, Xander swept the unconscious Slayer into his arms. "We'd better get out of here," he said, a tone of command taking over. "When those creeps wake up and find their leader dead, we'll be in trouble." Without waiting to see if the other two followed, he carried Buffy up the ramp and into the Khufu.  
  
"Do you know what's happened to her?" Imoen asked of Usko.  
  
"I'm not certain, but I believe it's a collapse due to mental stress because of how much Buffy drew upon the Dark Side," Usko replied. She sighed. She'd only heard stories of how the Dark Side affected people, but nothing really first hand. "She's not used to the Force affecting her, according to you, then she taps into the Dark Side."  
  
"We should get far away from Coruscant then," Imoen said. The idea of Palpatine sensing the Dark Side emerging in Buffy... it terrified her.  
  
"I only hope we're able to help her," Usko told Imoen. The two of them headed up the ramp.  
  
-  
  
Khufu, enroute to Naboo  
  
Xander entered the room, a look of concern mixed with subdued anger on his face. He tried to smile when Imoen sat up in her chair, eager for news of Buffy's health.  
  
"She's resting," he told her. No need for Imoen even to voice her question. It was very apparent on her face what she wanted to know. He joined her at the table, sighing heavily. "I can't say for how long she'll be all right, though. Whatever happened to her..."  
  
"The Dark Side, Xander," Imoen quietly replied. She shifted in her seat, recalling how Buffy'd been acting since Xander's kidnapping.  
  
"The Dark Side?" He was about to ask how when he remembered where they were. Through the looking glass. Everything that existed in the Star Wars universe was real. "But how did it take such a strong hold on her so fast?"  
  
"Her emotions, Xander. She was nearly out of control when she learned you'd been kidnapped."  
  
"Really?"  
  
She nodded. "What I'm more concerned about is Palpatine, though. He had to have sensed the Darkness Buffy drew on. What if he comes after her?"  
  
Xander shuddered. "We'll be back on Naboo soon. Then we can get Cyril, fire up the rod and get back to the real world. I don't know about you, but I'm missing vampires, demons and the Hellmouth. Simple evils."  
  
"I'm not going with you, Xander." She didn't look at him.  
  
"What? But I thought -"  
  
"I told you when you first arrived on Coreillia I would not return," she interrupted. "My meeting with Senator Mothma does bring me some hope for the future of my world."  
  
"Imoen, you can't change what's already set. Naboo is lost, the Empire will rise, and you'll likely -" He stopped himself before he finished that thought.  
  
"Maybe all of those things will come to pass." She shrugged then looked at him. "Perhaps they won't. I'd like to believe they won't. Senator Mothma believed me, Xander. The first in this world to do so."  
  
Xander sighed, more out of frustration than anything. "I came all of this way for you, Imoen. You won't even listen to reason."  
  
"I never asked you to come here. You arrived uninvited."  
  
He stared at her. "I lived through months of dealing with the guilt of leaving you behind."  
  
"You adjusted, didn't you? As I did. The simple fact is, I don't belong out there in the real world, Xander. You and Buffy do. My fight is for my world. Maybe it's pointless, but it's my fight, and at least I can say I tried."  
  
Xander's mouth clamped shut. Imoen was serious. She had no intention of being swayed. She was content to remain there and quite possibly die. Then again, he knew of the Hellmouth and all the other dangers in Sunnydale. Before he'd met Buffy, he was blissfully ignorant of it. When his eyes were opened, he didn't run. As overwhelming as it was, he chose to stay and fight.  
  
He met Imoen's gaze. Her reasoning wasn't far from his. All the evil in Sunnydale and the world wouldn't be eradicated, but when it came down to Judgement Day, he could say, "I tried."  
  
-  
  
Buffy twisted and turned in her sleep. It wasn't the uncomfortable sleeping cot aboard the Khufu that kept her in a place between consciousness and dreams, but the disturbing darkness - not tangible, not killable - lingering over her mind, body and soul. Everything about it was seductive - the power it offered.  
  
Soon, she settled enough to reach what she thought was a dream state. Her body relaxed and the darkness began to lift from her mind. It was then Buffy became acutely aware of another presence in her mind.  
  
Suddenly, a blinding light illuminated the dream world in which Buffy walked. She shielded her eyes, becoming aware she had some sort of physical being in this dream. As the light dimmed, Buffy saw white clouds rushing by all around her.  
  
Am I dead? she wondered. Maybe I died and I went to... Heaven?  
  
She went on the defensive as she noted a figure approaching from the distance directly in front of her. "Who's there?" she called out. Her voice was tinty, dissonant. She narrowed her eyes as the figure gained more distinct features.   
  
"Anakin?" she asked when the figure was fully recognizable. She looked down at the boy - almost 12 by this point.  
  
"Yes, Mistress Buffy, it's me," Anakin Skywalker replied.  
  
She looked him over more closely. he was dressed in the clothes of the Jedi, his Padawan braid falling over his left shoulder, and both hands were locked together in front of his. He was so much different than the child she'd met not long ago.  
  
"What are you doing here? In my dreams, I mean?" She glanced around. "Or am I dead?"  
  
"You're most certainly not dead," Anakin replied, a small smile on his face. "As for dreaming..." He shrugged. "That's all a matter of... perspective."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, matter of perspective?"  
  
"What are dreams, Buffy? They're just another level of consciousness. It's much easier to contact someone on this level though. The conscious mind is full of internal noise. You've yet to learn how to filter it out and gain true focus."  
  
Buffy's eyebrows raised. "Okay, you're sounding a little too much like Obi-Wan for my tastes, Anakin."  
  
"He is my teacher. It's normal I should sound like him. But I contacted you for an important reason, Buffy."  
  
"Really? And what reason would that be?"  
  
"You already know. You're trapped on the fine line separating the Light Side from the Dark Side." He paused, judging the reaction on her face. "You know it's true. You've a great connection with the Force. That's why it doesn't take much for me to connect with you. Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes. As one Chosen One to another, I suppose so... You're saying all that confusion I felt earlier was the Dark Side, huh?"  
  
"Yes. And it sinks it's claws deeper into you still. You have to avoid using your emotions, Buffy. And your most negative ones emerge when you are in battle."  
  
She shrugged. "I'm on my way home, anyway. Don't get mad or get in a fight. Sounds simple enough."  
  
"It's not that simple. The creature who took your friend, he still pursues you."  
  
"Setamek?"  
  
"He seeks you out for a greater evil." He frowned, the adult demeanor vanished for a few moments. "But that... it's something I cannot see. I suppose my Force skills are not yet developed enough."  
  
Buffy didn't need to be told who the greater evil was - it was Palpatine. "Then I have to stop Setamek," she told him. That's probably what Palpatine counted on, but she'd seen this creature in action. He couldn't be left in their universe or allowed to return to the real world.  
  
"You put yourself at great risk if you attempt to do so," Anakin warned her.  
  
"That's what being Slayer is all about, Anakin. Putting the needs of the many over the good of the one. No matter how much the One thinks it sucks."  
  
Anakin nodded, a glimmer in his eyes. "I wish you well in your upcoming battle, Buffy. May the Force be with you."  
  
"I've got myself and that's all I need."  
  
Buffy's eyes opened and she sat up on the cot. She looked around the room. It was a dream, she thought. I guess.   
  
"Xander?" she softly asked.  
  
"He isn't here," came Usko's voice from the opposite side of the room.  
  
"Oh. Well, where is he?"  
  
"Speaking to the lady Imoen," Usko replied. She sat up in the chair when Buffy finally figured out where she was in the room. "I volunteered to watch over you."  
  
"What, you think I'm going to go to the Dark Side and slaughter everybody?" Buffy joked.  
  
The Jedi simply shrugged. "Possibly."  
  
"What would you do if I did?"  
  
"Kill you."  
  
The Slayer blinked. Not even a millisecond of hesitation on Usko's part. "Gee, don't think it over or anything."  
  
"No need. It must be done. You possess a great amount of Force power, Buffy. And to allow the Dark Side to have access to that - it would be wrong. I have my responsibilities." She leaned forward, her face more visible in the soft light of the room. "The evil pursues you, Buffy."  
  
"I know. Anakin Skywalker told me. We're gonna have to do something about Setamek. He can't be allowed to live."  
  
"How do we do that? The lightsabre was useless against the creature."  
  
Buffy swung her legs over the side of the cot. "Then we use something else. Nothing is unkillable. He has a weakness."  
  
Usko nodded thoughtfully. "What do we know about this creature? Beside it having the ability to become a shadow?"  
  
Buffy thought back on her first encounter with Setamek. "Well," she slowly said. "He is touchable in his solid form. I unloaded a bundle of stakes into him on Coreillia. Unfortunately, they weren't enough to kill him."  
  
Usko sat back in the chair, her hands folding together in her lap. "We must wait, then. An answer will present itself in due time."  
  
The Slayer shivered a bit as she rubbed her arms with her hands. "I hope you're right, Usko."  
  
-  
  
Naboo  
  
Finding the Star of Kings was easy enough. Kirja, accompanied by a troop of palace guards, led Cyril into a small room off of the main archive chamber. Inside it, safely contained in a force-field and watched by more guards, was what could only have been the coronation crown of the Naboo.   
  
"Not quite the Crown Jewels, but pretty close," Cyril whispered to Kirja.  
  
"Shh," she replied, then presented the Queen's seal to the leader of the honor guard. He bowed and stepped back to let Kirja deactivate the force field.  
  
Once the field was off, Kirja pressed a tiny button just inside the case and the platform the crown was resting on lifted up and floated in the air. After a few seconds, it drifted over to Kirja, settling a few inches away from her and several feet off the ground.  
  
"A repulsorlift?" Cyril observed.  
  
"Linked to the Royal Seal," Kirja explained. "We should hurry. The Queen's artisan must already be waiting, and the ship to take us to Coruscant."  
  
As it turned out, they didn't need the ship. Before the small group could return to the throne room, another guard arrived to inform that the Khufu was returning.  
  
"Already? What happened?" Cyril asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, I only know that the ship with Lady Imoen is returning," the guard replied. He saluted, then returned back down the hallway he'd come from.  
  
"I'm sure they simply finished their business earlier than they expected," Kirja said to Cyril. "Now you all have more time to prepare."  
  
"Yeah... Maybe," Cyril replied, unconvinced. "I've got a bad feeling about this."   
  
-  
  
The bad feeling only got worse when Cyril saw Buffy and the others come out of the Khufu. None of them were exactly the picture of cheerfulness.  
  
And who is the new girl in the robes? Cyril wondered. He tried not to stare at her, but she looked a little familiar. Maybe she's in one of the movies, he decided, then shrugged it off and walked over to Buffy.  
  
"Buffy, we've got a little problem," he said.  
  
"A big problem," Buffy replied. "Slimy super-demons."  
  
"You ran into him again?"  
  
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. He's a major league pain in the ass." She quickly filled him in on Xander's kidnapping and the fight with Setamek. "This guy... even a lightsabre couldn't touch him. I wish Giles and Willow were here, they could do some demon-frying magic."  
  
"Well, I can't help you there, but I think I have a way to help you fight it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The same gem the Numenoreans used to originally defeat him."  
  
"Well, that would work great, if we had it," Buffy replied. "Uh... do we have it?" she asked a few seconds later.  
  
"We do. Some of the Queen's people are snipping it off the coronation crown right now. Then all we have to do is... well, fix it to a sword and you should be able to slay him."  
  
"Swords?" Xander asked skeptically. "This isn't Medieval Wars, Cyril."  
  
Cyril shrugged. "I'm sure they've got a sword or two in a museum here."  
  
"No, I've got a better idea," Buffy said, a huge grin on her face.  
  
"What?" Cyril and Xander both asked.  
  
Buffy, still grinning, just pointed at the lightsabre on Usko's belt.  
  
"I love it when a plan comes together."  
  
-  
  
Palace Hangar  
  
Imoen sighed as she strolled down the ramp of the Khufu. She looked around the hangar of the Naboo Palace. It seemed so long ago, like eons, since she prepared to go to Coruscant for the first time with Buffy, when Saar, the evil Jinn, had propelled the Slayer into the realm of fantasy to play his Game. She was so different back then, nothing like the person she'd grown into. She owed that to Buffy, despite the pain she felt when she discovered the truth about her world. It helped her grow, become more than the handmaid she once was.  
  
She circled the Khufu, running her hand along the hull. With another sigh, she turned to the other ships in the hangar - the Naboo fighters. Her gaze shifted to the force field that enclosed docking bay entrance. The awe-inspiring view of Naboo from there.... it was like a dream. She'd missed her world so much.  
  
"Take me with you..." she murmured, recalling the thoughts in her head when Buffy had been freed from Saar's spell and prepared to return to her world - the real world. "I want to be like you." She hugged herself as she bowed her head. "I can't stay here..."  
  
Setamek's grinning form took shape just behind Imoen. "Neither can I," he hissed, then grabbed her from behind. He laughed as she shrieked in terror. "And you're going to help me, child." Claws gently raked across Imoen's cheek. "Trade you for the rod, and I go home. But not without a side trip to Earth..."  
  
"They'll never give up the rod to you!" Imoen declared struggling within Setamek's grasp. "Never!"  
  
A deep chuckle. "I know the Slayer kind. They do anything to help innocents such as yourself. They cannot stand by while weak beings are terrorized." He leaned closer, his gravelly voice in her ear. "And... if I'm lucky, she'll give into the evil within. Become an ally."  
  
"She'd never do that!"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"Yeah. Let's."  
  
Setamek, Imoen in tow, whirled around. He laughed when he saw Buffy, hands behind her back, standing in the hangar. "And the opportunity presents itself," he commented. His hand stroked Imoen's hair. "What say you, Slayer? My rod for your friend?"  
  
Buffy smiled as she brought out the glimmering rod from behind her back. "I don't know, Setamek," she said, shaking her head. She examined the rod closely then looked to the demon. "Imoen's right about me not turning the rod over to you. And I'm sure not going to let you take it."  
  
"Then I kill your friend." Claws dug into the girl's neck as his eyes narrowed on Buffy.  
  
"Well.. I can't have that, can I?" She sighed as she held the rod in both hands. "But..." She smiled as she met Setamek's gaze. "If there is no rod to trade for...." Before the demon could even let out a shout, Buffy broke the rod in half and threw the pieces to the floor. They slid to a stop at Setamek's feet. "Oops..."  
  
"Buffy!" Imoen gasped in horror. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the smirking Slayer. "How... how could you do that?"  
  
"Your bargaining chip is useless, Setamek," Buffy said as she took a few steps closer to the demon. "Let her go."  
  
Setamek's rage built up inside of him, slowly at first, but then spurted into a fury. His eyes glowed red momentarily then he threw Imoen aside. The girl hit the floor hard and with a high squeak. "You should not have done that, Slayer...." he hissed. "I'll make you sorry."  
  
She grinned. "Bring it on, then, buddy." She gestured to him with a crooked finger. "Let's have some fun!"  
  
"Buffy! Don't! Remember what Usko said!" Imoen desperately cried out.  
  
"Who cares what that self-righteous bitch says?" she snapped back. She smiled at Setamek as she came closer. "We don't, do we, Settie? Come give us a kiss."  
  
Setamek threw a punch that Buffy easily rolled with. She put her fingers to her bloody lip as she raised her head up. She glanced from the blood on her fingers to Setamek.  
  
"Is that all you've got?" she asked then laughed. "My weak human Watcher hits harder than that!"  
  
"Buffy, please!" Imoen begged, tears in her eyes. "Don't do this! The Dark Side will consume you!"  
  
"Buffy!" Xander's voice echoed throughout the hangar. He skidded to a halt when he saw Imoen on the floor, and Buffy and Setamek facing off over the broken pieces of the rod. "Oh no," he groaned. "We're trapped here!"  
  
"Xander!" Imoen scrambled to her feet and ran to him. "Buffy's gone mad!" She clung to him with all her might, tears streaming down her face. "She's gone to the Dark Side!"  
  
Setamek stared at the Slayer who bled from the mouth. Soon, his shoulders shook then his face cracked with a smile and a menacing cackle of glee followed.  
  
"So! You've gone to the Dark Side, Slayer? All the better for me!"  
  
"You scared of me now?" Buffy beckoned for him to come after her. "Scared I'll snap your neck like I did that Rodian? Fight me! Come on!"  
  
"Buffy, don't do this!" Xander yelled. "You're better than this! Stronger!"  
  
Setamek continued to laugh. "It would appear I will go home after all! Once I deliver you to the Grand Master, Slayer!"  
  
A large crate flew out of nowhere and hit Setamek in the head before he could get his hands on Buffy.  
  
"Think again," Usko evenly said as she stepped from behind one of the Naboo fighters.  
  
Angered, Setamek kicked the crate away. "You! Back for more, are you?" A smirk. "I'll give you plenty!" He held up his hands and loosed an invisible wave of energy. It hit Usko and threw her back against the landing gear of the fighter.  
  
"Xander, we have to do something," Imoen whispered. Usko was not moving. Possibly, she was dead.  
  
Buffy gasped when Setamek grabbed her by the upper arms and lifted her feet from the floor. She spat a mixture of blood and saliva into his face. "I'm going to watch you die," she snarled. She kicked Setamek hard in the gut, landing neatly on her feet when he dropped her. "You'll never get me! I'd rather die than serve your Grand Master!"  
  
"How so very noble." Setamek rose to his full height, turning to face Buffy. "You've no choice in the matter. You are the key to my reaching home!"  
  
"And let you win?" She sharply laughed as she took careful steps backwards. "I'm a Slayer and I don't let guys like _you_ win!"  
  
"Oh no..." Imoen gasped. She looked at the console for the docking bay force field. "It's not activated!" She grasped Xander's arm tightly, directing his attention to it. "She's disabled it!"  
  
Setamek looked from the control panel to Buffy. The Slayer, her back to the view of Naboo, stood poised at the edge of the docking bay. The gentle breeze blowing at that altitude stirred and fluttered the girl's hair and clothes.  
  
"No," he whispered, realizing what Buffy was about to do. "Do not." He saw the smile spread across Buffy's face. "I have to take you to the Grand Master!"  
  
"I'd rather _die_." With that, Buffy took one step back and dropped off the edge.  
  
"NOO!" Imoen and Xander cried out in horror.  
  
"Bitch!" Setamek howled. She couldn't have just committed suicide! "NO! NO!" He ran to the edge and scanned the horizon. A hand grabbed onto his ankle and his surprised gaze went down.  
  
Buffy, one hand on Setamek's ankle, the other on the edge of the hangar bay floor, grinned up at him. "Fooled you!" she exclaimed.  
  
Setamek's eyes grew dark with anger, but before he could do anything, the distinct snap-hiss of a lightsabre being ignited caught his attention.  
  
"Made you look," came Usko's snarky addition.  
  
Setamek felt the energy beam cut through his back then watched as the blade exited out of his chest. His hands raised up, eyes transfixed on the glowing blade. A few croaks escaped his throat, and his confused gaze flicked around.   
  
"How," was all he could whisper. His body tumbled forward, slipping off the blade.  
  
Buffy released her hold on Setamek's ankle, turning her head to watch the demon's body plummet until it could no longer be seen. "Good riddance!" she breathed in relief.  
  
"You okay?" Usko asked as she shut down her lightsabre.  
  
"Yeah." Buffy grunted as she hauled herself up and over the ledge. She grinned at Usko as she stood up. "Plan worked. Told you it would."  
  
Imoen hit the button which reinitiated the force field then she and Xander joined the two girls.  
  
"You almost had me convinced you were gonna commit suicide, Buffy," Xander said as he shook his head. "You were great."  
  
"Wouldn't have been able to pull it off without you two," Buffy replied. "The two of you should win Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress."  
  
"Oh, I think the honor definitely goes to you, Buff," Xander said. "You owned the role."  
  
Buffy grinned proudly for a second, then looked towards the main door to the hangar as it opened. A squad of palace guards stormed in, blasters drawn in a pointless show of readiness.  
  
Captain Panaka lead the squad over to Buffy and the others. "Is it dead?" he asked, looking around for the body.  
  
"Very dead," Buffy replied. She pointed at the edge of the docking bay that Setamek had tumbled over. "Crisis is over, thanks to Lady Buffy... and company."  
  
Usko gave Buffy a brief worried look, then smiled. "Lady Buffy's plan worked perfectly. The Dark Sider was completely fooled."  
  
"Congratulations. The Queen will be very pleased - "  
  
"I am."  
  
The guards, as well as Usko, turned and bowed as Amidala entered the room with four of her handmaidens in tow.  
  
"Once again, you have done my people a great service, Lady Buffy," Amidala said with a smile on her face. "And once again, we owe you a fitting reward."  
  
"How come she gets all the prizes?" Xander asked Imoen in a stage whisper.  
  
Amidala turned towards Xander. "We have not forgotten your service... all of you," she said, looking at Xander, Imoen and Usko in turn. "Naboo, and the Republic, owes you for your valor."  
  
"Cool."  
  
-  
  
The Grand Ballroom  
  
The party was, typical for the Naboo, long and fancy. By the time the droids served the fifth course, Xander was starting to yawn (and getting nudged by Imoen under the table every time he did).  
  
A few of the local nobles pretended to pay attention to him and the others, but it was definitely Buffy's show. Considering the way she'd been acting lately, he wasn't sure that was a good thing. It might go to her head. Besides that, it was extremely weird seeing a Faith look-alike dressed up in a fancy version of Jedi robes and chatting nervously with the Queen and her governors.  
  
Xander looked down the table and was a little bit relieved when he saw Cyril looked as uncomfortable as he felt. The guy had the most miserable look on his face. But he didn't have as much to leave behind, did he?  
  
He sighed and concentrated on finishing his iceberry wine. There wasn't a drinking age on Naboo, at least not for foreign diplomats. Yet another thing - but hardly the main one - he'd miss about this place. Right. Like he'd even remember the wine tomorrow when they were all back on Earth.  
  
"Good sir, your pardon."  
  
"Huh?" Xander repeated. He looked around the table and frowned again. Half the guests had left. The Queen and her major flunkies, Usko, a few of the nobles, and that was it, aside from Buffy and Cyril and Kirja. "Fine, take it," he said to the droid.  
  
"Very good, sir," the droid murmured as it gathered the empty plate with one long arm and collected the wine glass with another.  
  
"Do they all sound like Mr. Belvedere?" Xander asked as he turned towards Imoen, except she was gone. "Im?"   
  
Not only was she not in her chair, she wasn't even in the room.   
  
Good one, Xander, real good. He shot out of his chair and hurried out of the dining hall, ignoring the confused looks on the faces of the remaining guests.  
  
It was only once he was out in the hallway that Xander remembered just how big the palace was. There were a million places Imoen could have gone to. At a loss, he went up the wing where Amidala had housed them this time and checked Imoen's room. Empty, of course. So was the small café on that floor, and the enclosed garden below.  
  
Where is she? Xander wondered frantically as he stomped back up to the guest wing for a second look around.  
  
"Can I help you?" a woman's voice asked, cutting through his increasing panic.  
  
He stopped knocking on his own door and turned. For a second, he thought it was the Queen. Then he realized it was a handmaiden, one he didn't know. Probably the new body double bodyguard.  
  
"Yeah - uh, yes. Have you seen Imoen?" he asked her.   
  
"The Lady Earendil? I believe I saw her in the north wing not long ago," the handmaiden replied.  
  
"The north wing's pretty big..."  
  
"One of the public balconies, perhaps?" the handmaiden speculated. "She didn't stop to talk to me."  
  
Balconies? Xander nodded. He had a good idea where she was now. "Thanks," he said, then dashed off.   
  
-  
  
Imoen was right where he expected she'd be - standing alone on the same balcony they'd been on when she had told him the story of Varda and Mânawenûz.   
  
"Imoen..."  
  
She didn't turn when he spoke, didn't even nod, just kept looking up at the stars.  
  
"Why'd you leave?" Xander asked, joining her at the edge of the balcony.  
  
"I don't know," Imoen replied. "Maybe I got tired of watching you glower."  
  
"I wasn't glowering. Scowling, maybe, but - "  
  
"Xander..."  
  
Xander shook his head. They'd already been down this road, this discussion. He hoped that maybe she'd changed her mind. Still, he could see her point of view. Even if she was only going to end up being the boy sticking his fingers in the dam. Xander couldn't say to change it.  
  
Not wanting to end up in another fight, he kissed Imoen. "Good luck, Imoen," he softly said.  
  
"Thank you," Imoen replied in a whisper. The tears streaming down her face gleamed in the moonlight. "I will miss you so much, Xander."  
  
"I love you." He kissed her once more, tenderly. When their lips finally parted, he held her close. "Where will you go now?"  
  
"Corellia. I have to thank Tev for everything in person. And then Coruscant, or Chandrilla."  
  
Mon Mothma's homeworld, Xander remembered. If changing the future was possible, Imoen's plan was as good as any.   
  
"What about you?" Imoen asked a moment later.  
  
"Me? Back to delivering pizzas, I guess," Xander replied with a shrug.  
  
Imoen shook her head. "You can do more than that, Xander. Look at all you've done in this world!"  
  
"Well, this is the Star Wars world... a dork can be a hero here." He managed a small smile. "And I definitely fall into the dork category."  
  
A faint smile appeared on her face. "Promise me that you will," she said, tone serious.  
  
"Okay. I don't like Mr. Ciano that much anyway. He doesn't reimburse for gas."  
  
"Good," she said, finally smiling. She drew in a deep breath, gazing up at the stars once more. "Dance with me, Xander."  
  
"Of course," he replied, offering her his arm. "All night long."  
  
-  
  
Palace Courtyard  
  
For once, it was a cloudy day on Naboo. Apparently, the farmers east of the city needed rain. Not even the Queen was able to override the bureau of agriculture. At least it wasn't raining yet, Xander thought, trying hard to find the silver lining.  
  
He and Buffy and Cyril were all packed and ready to go, and the Queen and her retinue were out to see them off.  
  
"Are you sure that thing has enough juice to get us home? I don't want to end up in the Gamma Quadrant," Xander said to Cyril.  
  
"Trust me," Cyril replied, grinning as he carefully studied the ancient artifact. "It's lasted twelve thousand years, it'll last another ten minutes."  
  
Ten minutes... Xander swallowed hard and looked around the gray, empty courtyard. Imoen wasn't there. They'd said their good-byes last night. Another meeting would be too painful, they'd agreed. It had made sense under the stars and moon, but now... "Waiting _is_ the hardest part."  
  
"Huh?" Buffy asked him, hefting her oversized bag (filled with a few of the 'cool' Naboo outfits she'd been given this time).  
  
"Nothing." He sat down and let out a sigh. "Why can't we go now?"  
  
Buffy shrugged. "You know, the sun and the position of the horizon... or something. Ask Cyril."  
  
"On second thought... no."   
  
The next few minutes crawled by. Finally, Cyril cleared his throat.   
  
"We're ready," he announced.  
  
"Okay." Buffy glanced over at Xander. "Your call," she said, softly so that the Naboo wouldn't hear.  
  
"Let's go," he said. "No time like the present, right?"  
  
"Right." Buffy turned to Cyril. "Hit it."  
  
Cyril nodded and set the rod for Earth's coordinates. He held his finger above the activation button, waiting for the final okay.  
  
Xander took one last look at the palace. His eyes were drawn to the balconies... and his breath caught in his throat. Imoen...  
  
As his eyes started to tear up, he raised his arm in a silent salute. Imoen, beautiful in the same green dress she'd worn all that time ago on his first trip here, waved back.  
  
"Now," Xander whispered, never taking his eyes off of her.  
  
He heard a soft click, and then the world in front of him exploded into a psychedelic pattern of shifting colors. Buffy stepped through first.  
  
Cyril glanced at Xander. Now or never...  
  
Xander nodded and looked over the top of portal. Imoen... He closed his eyes, memorizing the sight of her, green dress fluttering in the breeze, and stepped into the portal.  
  
Naboo vanished.  
  
*******  
  
Buffy landed hard on Giles's living room floor. "Owwww!" she exclaimed, rubbing her elbows. "I forgot my stinking pillow!" She rolled out of the way as Xander, then Cyril, came flying out of the portal. A moment later, it snapped shut behind them.  
  
"Are we..." Cyril rubbed his head as he pushed himself to his knees. He saw the familiar surroundings of Rupert's house. "Oh, fabulous!" he sighed in relief. "It worked."  
  
"Xander, you all right?" Buffy helped him to his feet.   
  
"I'm fine..." He opened his book bag, digging around.  
  
"Okay..." The Slayer turned to Cyril. "Guess Giles isn't home," she said with a shrug. She saw him examining the rod in his hands. "What do you plan to do with that? Be like _Sliders_ and visit all the weird worlds out there?"  
  
Cyril shook his head. "No. Having this thing in working order is only a danger waiting to be unleashed. I should've learned my lesson about picking up shiny things in tombs..." He raised up his gaze to Buffy's. He held it out to her. "I want it to be destroyed. So no one can use it again."  
  
"You sure about this?" Buffy asked as she took the rod from him. She pointed to it. "Because once it's broken, there's no coming back."  
  
He nodded. "Yes. It's best this way. Destroy it."  
  
"Whatever the doctor orders." She took the rod in her hands and easily snapped it in two. A flare of golden charged energy harmlessly leaped up from the broken pieces. As it subsided, the two halves of the rod lost their luster... soon crumbling into dust in Buffy's hands. "Oops... oh well. Saves us from the temptation of gluing it back together."  
  
Cyril nodded, closing his eyes briefly. They opened again when Xander spoke.  
  
"Hey! I say again... HEY!" Xander whirled around to Buffy and Cyril. He held up his CD player. The thing was obliterated, pieces of plastic and wires hanging every which way in his hand. "What happened to my CD player?"  
  
Buffy's face flushed with embarrassment. "Um... I hate to tell you, Xander..." she began. She saw the look in his eyes when he focused his attention on her. She flashed an apologetic smile at him. "The Dark Side got it."  
  
"George Lucas owes me 80 bucks," Xander muttered as he shoved the broken pieces of his player back into his bag.  
  
The End!  
  
  



End file.
